Toni Stark's Relationship Adventure
by Schadenfreudessa
Summary: Toni and Loki's tale continues on in this series of short stories. The second of 'Toni Stark's Descent into Sex, Magic, and Madness'.
1. Everyone's Fave Norse Bros Hug It Out

**Here it is, my lovelies! The next installment of Toni and Loki's life together.**

* * *

Toni was finally ready to go to bed. She had been up for nearly two days straight, catching up on all the work she had missed after her severely enforced bed rest. Actually, she had just been planning out a new bot to help out in the workshop, and wasn't all that tired at all, but Loki had popped in and insinuated that if she would take a break, there would be a reward. So now she intended to have sex with Loki, then sleep until he woke her up with coffee. Then maybe some more sex before properly rejoining the rest of the world. It seemed like a brilliant idea, and the sex alone was enough to lure Toni out of her lab.

Upon arriving in her bedroom, though, she saw that it was empty. Toni frowned, not at all happy with this because if Loki was just trying to trick her into sleeping, then she was going to be pissed and sexually frustrated, which was good for no one. So, determined to get her reward, Toni set off for the bedroom Loki had on Thor's floor.

It was odd, and the genius rather doubted she would find her favorite god down there, though, as he had practically moved in with her over the past several days. It made sense that he would, as the Trickster always made it a point to avoid Thor whenever possible even now. At least when Loki's mouth had still been stitched shut, it could be excused as being too hard to communicate – though Toni alone knew that was untrue – but now it was just painfully obvious that in the time since, the brothers had never worked things out. It upset the genius a bit, because Thor was her buddy and he always looked so crushed. But it was also not something she could judge Loki for, so she let him be.

So Toni really wasn't expecting to find her lover present when she stepped off the elevator on the Thunder God's floor, and she also wasn't planning on eavesdropping on the conversation the two Norse deities were having. But Toni Stark was never one to let such a prime opportunity go to waste, so she pressed back into a corner in the lobby and listened in on the conversation just taking place around the corner.

"I don't understand why you are moving out, Broth- Loki". That was Thor, but Loki was moving out? He couldn't possibly be leaving the Tower, it wasn't allowed. Besides, Toni didn't want him to go anywhere.

"I have already told you, Thor. I'm going to be staying in Stark's rooms. She has kindly offered them to me, and I find her company much more refreshing than yours ever was". Toni didn't remember offering to let Loki share her space, but she didn't mind. She did like the company after all, even if she could guess that this was more about the Trickster separating himself from Thor than anything else.

"But-"

"No, you do not get to question my actions. I do what I will, and I have not asked for your input". Uh oh, Loki was getting snappish, which meant that Thor would get defensively angry, and then they would just feed off each other until something snapped.

"Brother", there was Thor's angry growl coming in to say all the wrong things. "I am not trying to undermine you, I just with to understand why you are so desperate to flee my company as to move out entirely!"

"Well, my dear Thor, perhaps it is because after several centuries of being trapped in your infuriating company – and the company of your thick-skulled friends – I wish for something different". Toni could almost hear the sickly-sweet smirk Loki was surely wearing in his voice. She wondered if maybe she should escape or butt in and defuse the situation.

"I do not recall our company being such a nuisance to you before". Toni actually flinched at that. Thor was a master of 'slighting his brother in twenty words or less'. And it was painful to watch because he was so genuinely trying to do the right thing. But the blonde dunderhead had just implied that Loki was lying, or overreacting. Or even worse, that Loki was somehow _wrong_ in how he felt. Toni wanted to shake the god and yell about how this wasn't about the truth so much as it was about how Loki _felt_. That was the important bit that Thor really needed to be paying attention to, but for all that he wanted to do right by his brother.

"No, Thor, but we have long since discovered that what you remember and what I remember vary quite a bit. Now, if you will excuse me, I have a woman to visit". Oh shit, Toni could hear Loki moving up the hall towards the corner where she was standing. He was going to be pissed if he caught her there. So, Toni ducked into the small room across the hall from where she was. It turned out to be Thor's personal kitchen, and she just chilled there as Loki stalked past, arms full of his own stuff.

Of course, she should have guessed that the first place Thor would retreat to after a fight with his brother would be the kitchen, as it was fully stocked with all sorts of Poptarts and other comfort foods. He didn't seem to put out by finding her, though, just nodding after a moment before reaching over her for an unopened box of Wild Berry Poptarts. Toni thought to leave then, but Thor was sitting and he gestured for her to join him at the table. She really wanted to decline, but he had that kicked puppy thing going, and it was hard to resist.

After a long moment of watching Thor munch solemnly away, the blonde finally spoke up, not quite meeting Toni's gaze. "Would I be correct in assuming you heard most everything, my friend?"

Toni nodded slowly. "I didn't mean to, you know. I just- I was looking for Loki…"

"It doesn't matter", Thor said as he waved away her excuses. "I actually… Well since you heard, I could do with any advice. I don't know what to do anymore. I just want my brother back". Then Thor's face was hidden behind his hands, and Toni could hear his muffled sobs. It made her extremely uncomfortable, and she just fidgeted in her seat for a long moment before reaching out to awkwardly pat Thor's shoulder. He seemed to take that as permission for something, because then she was swept up into a tight hug.

It wasn't often that Toni Stark had large men – gods – crying into her shoulder; hell, it wasn't often she had anyone crying into her shoulder, and she had no idea what to do. It was near ten minutes of hugging before finally she was released, Thor wiping indiscreetly at his tear-streaked face.

"Thor", Toni started, but she broke off when the blonde looked up at her. Gods, she really didn't want to have to say this. Nothing between the brothers would ever change, though, if Thor didn't realize one thing. "Thor, you can't get your brother back".

The Thunderer's face was a heartbreaking amalgamation of shock, confusion, and pain. But he needed to really listen and understand this, so Toni continued before he could speak.

"You can't get your brother back, because that is the past, and because that is what Loki wants to leave behind. To him, being your brother is just a reminder of the family he thinks he has lost. Before anything between you can get better, you need to show him that your love wasn't based upon just blood and family, but on who he is. Then maybe he can trust in you again".

"And how can I do that?" Wow, Thor actually seemed to be listening and understanding. Then again, she knew he was hardly as foolish as he let them believe. "How can I show him that no matter what, I still love him dearly?"

"First off, stop calling him brother. You know that bothers him, and I know you are trying to stop, but try harder". Thor nodded. "Secondly, when he speaks, you _listen_. No matter what he says, or who he insults, or how wrong you think he is, you just listen. And especially don't disagree or try to prove him wrong". Thor's nod was a little more hesitant that time.

Toni sighed, running a hand through her hair. She was too tired for this shit, but she was going to try. "Look, Beowulf, it doesn't matter if you never meant to make Loki feel bad or disregarded. The fact is that he feels that way, and you need to respect that by not arguing against it".

Thor seemed to be thinking for a long moment, pulling himself together as he did, and then there was a slow nod from him. "I thank you, Toni. You have given me hope, and advice to think on. It means a lot to me".

Toni stood slowly, because Thor looked like he just needed some time now. "No problem, Outlander. Just be there for him as a friend, if you can't be a brother".

When Toni finally made it back up to her bedroom, she wasn't in the mood for sex anymore. Which was good, because Loki wasn't there, though his stuff was. Toni went to sleep alone that night.


	2. Everyone's Fave Norse Bros Pt II

Toni woke up the next morning to a still-empty bed. Loki's side didn't look slept in at all, and that was very troubling.

"JARVIS, where has Loki been since yesterday after he spoke with me in the lab?"

"After leaving your lab, Master Loki returned to his own rooms and retrieved several items. He then placed such items in your own quarters. Upon perceiving your continued absence, he inquired of me as to your whereabouts. When I reported you to be speaking with Mr. Odinson, Master Loki left. He has been in the pool room ever since".

Toni rubbed at her eyes, knowing that this wasn't going to be fun in any definition of the word. But she did stop to change her clothes and clean up a bit, which she hadn't done last night. It gave her time to think, too, about how Loki could be feeling. She was sure that it was going to be a sulky Loki that she met in a short while.

After feeling sufficiently cleaner, Toni double checked with JARVIS to make sure Loki hadn't moved. He hadn't, still moping about in the pool. It had amused her when she realized Loki was a bit of a swimming nut. She had found him hanging out in the pool more times then she could count, and after a while, he had spilled about sneaking out of the palace as a child, going out to swim alone in some of Asgard's rivers and pools. It was kind of cute to think about, a bright-eyed little Loki splashing about in the water like that.

What greeted her upon entering the Tower's pool room was significantly more hot than cute, though. Loki's long, lean body cut through the water as he did laps. She could see the muscles flexing along his back and in his arms as he moved. God, Toni loved how sinewy Loki's body was; how though he was thin, he was solid through and through. But she had to push aside how much she wanted to pounce him to deal with his sulking.

"You didn't come to bed last night". Toni stood at the edge of the pool, mock-pouting down at where Loki was treading water, staring up at her. "I thought you promised me a reward".

Loki didn't respond, just kept his face blank. Then he was back to his swimming, slipping though the water so prettily. Toni sighed, glad that she had the foresight to put on a black tank and some old shorts that said "Talk Nerdy to Me" on the butt. The genius hoped to god the water wasn't too cold as she took a few steps back before taking a running leap. She managed to successfully cannonball right into Loki's path, but then she was gasping because holy shit it was cold.

Almost immediately, slender arms wrapped around her chest, stilling her flailing and thrashing about. Toni could feel Loki's chest pressed to her back, feel his legs kicking to tread water, feel his smirk as he spoke into her ear.

"It isn't wise to jump into the water if you cannot swim, my dear".

Toni scoffed, shoving lightly at her god's arms even as she leaned into him. "I can swim. Just not – you know – well".

Loki chuckled for a moment, and Toni smiled as she could feel the sound resonating through her own body. Maybe cheering up her huffy boy toy would be easier than previously thought.

"Now that I have saved your life _again_, Stark, take your leave. I was busy".

Yeah, or maybe not.

"C'mon babe, don't be such a mope", Toni teased as she wiggled in Loki's arms. She managed to half-way turn around, tipping her head back to look at his face. He met her gaze with the customary cocked eyebrow. "You've been chilling here all night and I really did want that reward".

Loki sighed, as if somehow greatly put out, but there was a smile playing at the edges of his lips, and he pressed a quick kiss to her forehead. "I didn't think you would actually listen". Toni chose not to call him out on that lie.

"I always listen to you sweetie". That earned her an eye-roll. "Now hurry up, I'm wet and cold and I need some help getting out of these clothes".

Toni was happy to lead her teasing lover back up to the bedroom he had avoided last night.

The rest of that day passed in relative peace and ease. Though she and Loki both hung out in the public areas, Thor seemed to have taken at least some of what she said seriously. He didn't crowd Loki, or hover nearby. He also didn't try to engage Loki in any nostalgic conversations meant to foster the bonds of brotherhood or anything else Thor-ish.

She could tell Loki had noticed the change from the way he was watching Thor out of the corner of his eye. But he would still tense up subtly if Thor looked to be approaching them, or when Thor's mouth opened. But after an entire afternoon of nothing but short pleasantries between the two, it was obvious that Loki was just as confused as the rest of the Avengers. Toni was secretly proud of her Thunder-buddy, even if was only because this all had unsettled Natasha.

Things just got odder as dinner ended. Everyone had taken their customary seats, with Loki sandwiched between herself and Thor; Clint, Natasha, and Bruce across from them; and Steve at the head of the table. The same pleasantness that had pervaded the afternoon continued even throughout the meal, and it seemed to have knocked everyone but Toni off their axis. She took great pleasure in watching the varying levels of confusion – though Bruce seemed to pick up that Toni had some hand in this, if the look he was giving her was any indication.

As the food was devoured and clean-up began, Thor rather promptly took care of his messy dishes before turning back to Loki. His eyes on the ground, the Thunderer was almost quiet in speaking to his brother.

"Loki, if you are available for a short time, I would like to speak with you".

When Thor looked up, Toni shot him a thumb-up from behind Loki's back, which seemed to brighten the god up just a bit. But then Loki began to open his mouth, and the genius just knew he was going to be difficult. "I am currently incapable as I already have-"

Toni shoved him into Thor's arms to shut him up. "No worries, Thor. Tall, Dark and Crazy is all yours tonight". She winked at the blonde, who was chuckling, if a bit hesitantly. "Just bring him back in one piece".

And with that, she quickly left, ushering everyone else out with her. Toni briefly entertained thoughts of doing a bit of eavesdropping just to make sure everything went well, but she decided to have faith in Thor instead. So Toni talked everyone else into watching a movie with her, which turned into a movie marathon.

A few hours later, when it was starting to get really late, the two brothers finally came out in public. Toni was happy to note that Thor was grinning like his life suddenly had meaning again, and Loki had a little half-smile that he was trying to hide. They both also looked to have been crying quite a bit, but no one commented. There was, however, a round of gasps as Thor pulled Loki into a tight hug, and it was returned. Toni thought it was adorable and decided to reward her lover later for playing nice with his brother.


	3. Toni Stark Says I Love You

Toni and Loki could now be officially called a couple. It wasn't public knowledge, of course, but everyone who mattered knew them to be 'together'. The Avengers were cool with it – even Steve, though that was more because Toni would have kicked him out otherwise, so cool with it he must be.

That didn't really change how they acted, though. They pulled pranks together and watched movies and worked in Toni's lab – now officially dubbed Toni & Loki's Lab. They just added cuddling, hand-holding and sex to all that. No one really minded as long as the worst of it stayed private, and the couple wouldn't have cared if they did.

Despite all that, though, was the fact that Loki had never said that he loved Toni. Sure he had said it before, but he never mentioned it afterwards no matter what happened. It bothered her just a little bit. Well, way more than a little bit because even though she never said it so plainly herself, she maybe really loved him back; but she wasn't going to mention it to her kinda-boyfriend. She would, though, ramble on drunkenly about it to Pepper and Natasha one Saturday when Loki had a mandatory bonding session/weekend sleepover with Thor.

That earned her no sympathy, though, which really wasn't fair. But Pepper called her stupid and Natasha told her that Loki wasn't going to say it until Toni said it first.

"But why?", a very drunken Toni slurred into her Everclear and lemonade, because it was one of those nights. Pepper just rolled her eyes and took the drink away while Natasha kicked her feet up on the table.

"Because there is a big difference between telling an unconscious person that you love them and telling a conscious person who can possibly reject that. Loki knows your reputation, Toni. And while he might have fallen in love with you anyway, he probably isn't expecting the sentiment to be returned. So you have to admit that you love him first".

Toni whined at the loss of her alcohol, because Natasha was making an unfortunate amount of sense. "But I already told him that I liked him. I was even gonna give up the reactor for him".

"You would give that thing up for any of us. I think Loki's feelings run a bit deeper than that".

"But I don't even know how I feel".

Natasha smirked silently to herself, indulging in some vodka while Pepper decided to answer this time. "Toni, don't be ridiculous. You wouldn't be drinking like this over someone who wasn't extremely important. And you definitely wouldn't be worried about whether or not he loves you if you weren't in love yourself".

That also made an unfortunate amount of sense, but luckily the topic was dropped in favor of the two redheads forcing Toni to bed. She slept pretty well – mostly from the amount of alcohol in her system. Upon waking, there was a little note and some hangover cure left at her bedside. When the genius could finally sit up properly, she sipped at the nasty green shake that would help with her headache and nausea. The note just read simply 'Miss you' in Loki's very distinctive handwriting. Toni couldn't help but smile.

Loki, though, was still locked onto his brother's floor for the remainder of that Sunday, so Toni decided to take a long relaxing bath. With bubbles, of course. It was nice to just be able to soak and relax for a while, and she let mind wander as the warm water did its job in soothing her body.

She thought about her most recent project – a new repulser design for her suits – but that quickly led to what Loki had said about her work, which led then to Loki and the video of his confession. That was still not something she wanted to think of, but she was too sober now to stop. Then came how she had felt when Loki was gone that next day. She thought about how cold she had felt when they realized Loki had been kidnapped – about how he had been her first concern, even before Natasha and Clint – about how she had worked herself sick for days just to find him. And about how she would have gladly murdered every Hydra agent herself just to find him again.

Oh, Toni Stark was in love.

It was a rather anticlimactic realization, all things considered. But Toni, in typical Toni fashion, decided that she would announce this as dramatically as possible. She had JARVIS pulling up the most romantic restaurants they could go to, then she realized that Loki wasn't supposed to be out in public, especially not with her. So staying in, then.

Toni spent the next hour sitting in the tub, trying to put together a suitable plan. Everything that she came up with – or that the internet suggested – was quickly ditched for not being quite right enough. It was hard, after all, to top a confession of love that required ripping your face open to do so. Besides, romance was definitely not Toni's specialty and she was quickly losing patience with this entire venture.

So with a sigh of rage, Toni stood and clambered out of the tub. She was all pruney and a bit cold for all that and it was decidedly not fun. She had just about given up on all this love bullshit, and she definitely wasn't going to win the game of 'Who had the best love confession'. That only meant, though, that she needed to not play.

Which is how Toni found herself hacking the 'Code: Brother' lockdown on Thor's floor, standing in his elevator lobby dripping wet, cold, and wearing nothing but a fluffy towel that just reached past her butt. It only took a moment for her to override the door lock, kicking the damn door open when it didn't get out of her way fast enough. Luckily, the entranceway was empty, so she didn't flash anyone when her towel started to fall a bit.

Readjusting the only fabric currently protecting what little modesty she had, Toni moved farther in, ending up in Thor's living room. The two brothers were lounging across the couches there, with some stupid movie about aliens playing. They both looked up, however, when Toni pointedly cleared her throat.

There were varying degrees of shock on their faces, and it was really pretty funny – thank gods JARVIS was recording this. Loki was obviously shocked – but not unhappy – to see her, though he tried to hide that behind a cocked eyebrow. Thor just stared openly at her for a moment, then he seemed to realize how naked she was and couldn't decide from there what to do with his eyes. The poor guy's face was turning red as he glanced to Loki then back to her. The Thunderer even tried to stand up and leave, but Toni never gave him a chance.

Clearing her throat again, she pointed sharply to Loki and announced rather gruffly. "I fucking love you, you stupid idiot".

And then she left. Toni would never admit that she was suddenly nervous that she had somehow screwed up. She really hadn't thought this through all that well, just acted out in frustration. And so she didn't want to see Loki's face or reaction, especially not with Thor right there. Plus she was freezing her breasts off and dripping with water, and she wanted to put some kind of clothes on.

Toni went straight back up to her bedroom and pulled on some warm and cuddly pajamas – they were actually Loki's, but she stole them often because they hung off of her in a way that was adorable and that Loki couldn't resist. Curling up in their shared bed, she tried to justify her actions. Despite how unconventional the whole thing had been, the two of them were an unconventional couple, so it surely fit. Now there would be awesome sex, because that's what happened after love confessions, right?

But after 30 minutes, Loki still hadn't shown up. Toni was frowning to herself, a bit worried at that. She had made sure to leave the door unlocked so that Loki could escape, and Thor wouldn't keep his brother hostage after that. She waited another half an hour, but there was still nothing. So Toni asked JARVIS to locate her errant lover. The AI replied that Loki was standing just outside her bedroom door, and had been for some time.

"Goddammit, JARVIS. Why didn't you say anything?" she hissed, unhappily leaving her cozy spot on the bed to stand and approach the door.

"Master Loki made no attempt to enter, nor indicated that he had any intent to do so. As I am no longer under orders to report his every movement to you, ma'am, I did not".

"You just like him more, traitor".

"I can neither confirm nor deny such accusations".

Toni's only reply was to mutter vague threats as she placed a hand on the doorknob. Despite the sudden trepidation, she didn't give herself a chance to hesitate. Yeah, Loki's reaction was not at all what she had been expecting, but he loved her and she loved him so everything was okay. That's what she told herself, at least, as she threw open the door to face Loki.

What she found was not at all what Toni was hoping for. Loki looked beyond pissed, so angry that he wasn't even scowling. He was entirely blank but for his eyes. Those eyes were flashing with rage like lightening. It was scary and terrifying, Loki looming over her in a way that just screamed intimidation. If she wasn't Toni Stark – the woman born to stare down angry gods – she might have retreated. Instead she attacked whatever this was head on.

"Loki, what's wrong?"

There was this weird twitch in Loki's jaw, as if he was caught between laughing and growling. What came out was this choked off giggle that sounded more than just a little crazy. Then that madness was twisting across the rest of his features, and Toni flashed to breaking glass and the sensation of falling. Loki was stalking forward, crowding into her space in a way definitely aimed to threaten. It took everything Toni could muster to hold her ground until she was staring almost directly up at Loki's face.

She was starting to think that maybe she should stop trying to do relationships, because every time she thought she did okay, it ended with Loki like this.

"I cannot decide if you are really so intentionally cruel, or if you just have so little regard for my affections as to joke so."

That didn't make sense at all, and Toni frowned sharply. "What?"

Oops, Loki was really growling now, and while that may have been sexy in the bedroom, it was very much not so now. "I don't wish to play games with you, Stark. You know of my feelings for you, but whether you agree or not, I will not be mocked so by such declarations. And certainly not in front of what family I may claim".

"Loki, I really don't understand what you're upset about". This was not good, Toni knew. But she had just admitted something pretty profound, and Loki was acting like she had been joking. She hadn't, though, and wasn't that obvious? Even if it wasn't romantic or sappy or touchy-feely, it was still true.

"I am _upset_ because I don't want you to lie to me, not about this. Never about this". Loki's arms had come up on either side of her head, effectively pinning her in. But something was draining from him, his body trembling and he wouldn't meet her eyes any more. Toni reached up, instinctively wanting to cradle his face in her hands, but he pulled away suddenly. Toni was left standing at the door as Loki stood farther into the bedroom, and she felt distinctly alone.

"I'm not lying. I meant it. I lo-"

"Don't, Stark". Toni flinched, but fuck was she getting angry. She had put herself out there, made herself vulnerable and open for him, but now it was being thrown back in her face. She hadn't done anything wrong, and she wasn't going to let herself be berated for it.

"No, fuck this. I meant every goddamn word, you bastard. I love you, but I'm not good with this sort of stuff. I-"

"_Toni Stark doesn't do love_. That's what you always say, isn't it? Oh sure, I have seen how you can care, how you think me interesting enough to keep around, but that's not the same at all. You don't do love".

"Stop interrupting me and listen, you fucker". Toni took a long breath, pausing to make sure she wouldn't be stopped again. "You're right, my number one rule has always been to not _do_ love. But you trampled all over that shit and I have no idea how to deal with that. Balls, it took me forever just to admit that I really do love you, even though I've probably been that way for a long ass time now. But I don't know what I'm supposed to do about that; I don't know what you want me to do about that".

Loki was staring at her now, but Toni was getting really worked up and into it, and she didn't even notice as she paced around and continued ranting. "Was just saying it not enough? Does this need to be some big event. I mean, I could take the suit and write it in the sky! Or I could announce it at a press conference! Or if you want something better, how about a romantic dinner with wine and dramatic lighting and a touching, sappy speech about how my heart beats for you and you're the light of my life! Do you want me to get a huge fucking tattoo across my chest, or brand it on my skin! I will fucking carve it into my arm with a knife if you want! But I don't fucking know what you want, now do I!"

Toni turned, meeting Loki's stare, and the fight slowly left her. She was still tired from her drunken romp with the redheads just last night, and she really didn't want to argue about this anyway. She wrapped her arms around herself, head falling forward onto her chest. "I'm sorry that I didn't rip my lips apart to say that I love you, but that doesn't mean I don't really mean it. But I guess if it makes you feel better, than just forget it. It doesn't matter anymore, I don't think".

Then Loki was right there, in her space again. But this time it wasn't to intimidate, it was to comfort. Toni let herself be held by the god, snuggling up into his chest and clutching at his shirt. She had been crying again – if tear ducts weren't biologically necessary, Toni would get those damn things removed – so she took petty revenge in wiping the grossness of her snot and tears all along Loki's expensive shirt. After a moment, when she felt a little stronger, she looked up to see her boyfriend/lover smiling in that sappy and heartfelt way that made her feel gooey inside.

"Don't apologize, my dearest. That is what I should be doing. I don't want you to be upset or to do anything as drastic as scrawl your affections for me across the sky. I am sorry, though, that I would think so poorly of you as to think that you would lie about this". Loki's voice was rough with some emotion, but he was still smiling and bright-eyed in a much happier way. Toni just nodded to show her forgiveness, leaning into his body.

"I think this calls for make-up sex". That pulled a throaty chuckle from Toni's favorite god, and she smiled into his body as she could feel it rumbling though his torso under her cheek.

"I think you are right". Then the dark-haired god was cradling Toni in his arms and carrying her to their bed, laying her down with more gentleness than he had ever shown before. The tiny mortal responded by laying soft kisses along any inch of him that she could reach, quiet declarations of love slipping into the moments in-between.

Those confessions were returned in kind, leaving both of them smiling and warm.

* * *

**Update after the weekend!**

**Next time on Toni Stark's Relationship Adventure:**

****_"Toni only rarely, if ever, brought a woman home". _

_"But she has though"._

_"Yes"._

_"Then why is my female form so undesirable for her?"_


	4. Thor Brings Home a Guest

**Okay, firstly guys, I really need to apologize for how late this chapter is. Real life has been fucking with me for the past few weeks, and it has been decidedly unpleasant for all parties involved.**

**Two, this is definitely not what was promised in the preview posted at the end of the last chapter. I ended up hating what I had originally, so I rewrote the entire thing with an entirely different premise. That is one of the many reasons that this ended up taking so long.**

**Third, I want everyone to know that Jane makes an appearance in this chapter, and she is super OOC. So if you are a big fan of Jane/Thor, I apologize. This chapter feeds off of my hatred of Jane and Thor's relationship in the movies so far, because I think it is so far beyond believable, and Jane's character suffers for that. It makes me angry because Jane could be so amazingly brilliant and awesome, but she's pretty much just a plot device to justify Thor's sudden transformation from arrogant prince to selfless hero.**

**SO, if you love Jane, I'm sorry about what you are about to read. Feel free to argue with me about it if you want, but for this series, this is how it's going to be.**

* * *

The next week was fluffy and warm and comfortable for all the Tower's residents, especially Toni and Loki. The two had become extra-coupley in that time, Loki almost always pulling Toni onto his lap or holding her to his side. They would whisper to each other too, laughing at quiet jokes that most all of the other residents knew to be aimed at them. But still, it was cute to the point of vomiting rainbows (according to Clint) and the happiness of it suited them both in a way nothing else quite could.

It seemed, though, that the rest of the Avengers were getting a little put out – or jealous – of the smart-ass couple. Clint and Tasha were a bit more comfortable in letting themselves be seen together – Toni had video footage of them actually _holding hands. _Bruce may have started seeing someone on the outside, but he was being very secretive about it and would never answer Toni's prying with anything more than a cheeky smile. Thor even let Toni fly him out to New Mexico on her jet to visit Jane – it was just to get him away for the weekend so that she could keep Loki to herself, but Thor didn't catch on.

Steve was the only one not in some sort of relationship, but Toni knew he was still trying to get over the whole trapped in ice thing and all the shit that came with it. Making some attempt at being respectful, Toni stopped going out of her way to rub her relationship in Steve's face. She wasn't going to tone it back at all, nor would she ask Loki to do so, but she did make him sit in his own chair at group dinners.

So, for the most part, everything in the Tower was running quite smoothly. At least it was, until Thor came back from his weekend with a guest in tow. Toni was not happy that he couldn't even be bothered to call ahead.

In all honesty, it shouldn't have been surprising that Thor would bring Jane back. He hardly ever got to spend time with her between Asgard business and Avenger business. And with New Mexico a full day's trip away, it made dating hard. But for all that Thor and Jane had feelings for each other – Loki sneered at the thought that it might be true love, and Toni grudgingly agreed – that didn't mean this was going to end well.

Toni knew that Loki had no real feelings either way for Jane. They had both looked over her work on the Einstein-Rosen Bridge, and it was rather impressive. But Toni also knew that Loki held little respect for her relationship with his brother. It was probably a little bit of jealousy on his part, and also anger that three days with _her_ was enough to change Thor in a way that Loki hadn't managed to do after centuries. Even though Toni was pretty sure most of that change was just really Thor having to deal with being dumped weakened and mortal in someplace unfamiliar to him with no help from any of the usual sources.

But Jane's feeling towards Loki were an unknown variable – Thor never really mentioned how much Jane knew - and that made Toni nervous. Because while Loki wouldn't start a fight with her, he wouldn't sit back and take any abuse she might give out. So when a beaming Thor stood with a timid Jane under his arm, Toni was displeased. Especially because she was currently sitting in plain view of the couple, draped partially-naked across Loki's lap on the couch while a Science Channel documentary on String Theory played.

So, the genius unhappily disentangled herself from Loki and stood there in only her shorts and a ratty tank top while Thor walked forward to make introductions. Luckily the other Avengers were near at hand – thanks to JARVIS – so Toni didn't have to go through this with only her unwilling boyfriend for support.

"Friends, I would like you all to meet the lovely Lady Jane!" Thor's overly loud declaration was met with a chorus of greetings from everyone but Loki. Toni caught how Jane's eyes had kept flicking back to Loki ever since she walked in, and it made Toni wonder if the woman even knew who he was. Depending on how isolated SHIELD had kept the astrophysicist during the whole invasion thing, she might have never even seen Loki before.

Jane took rather well to everyone, though Natasha seemed to intimidate her; but who didn't Natasha intimidate? Loki's introduction was notoriously absent from Thor's little speech, though, and it left Toni with a very bad feeling about how everything was going to play out.

"Ah, Miss Stark? I was hoping that I could get your opinions on some of my research?" Jane looked somewhat hesitant to be asking, but if there was one thing Toni was always up for talking about, it was science.

"Sure thing. I've got copy of all your notes down in my lab if you want to follow me", Toni offered. Jane looked excited enough to squee at that, and it made Toni grin in return. Before she could take another step, though, a set of long arms were wrapped around her waist. Loki's chin was resting on an exposed bit of her shoulder; Toni was happy to press back into the body behind her.

"Would you mind if I joined?" Loki asked as he pressed a kiss to Toni's cheek. She turned to smile at him and return the kiss as chastely as she was capable of.

"Course, babe. Wouldn't be a proper science party if you weren't there."

Jane was looking between the two of them in some state of confusion. Then she was sticking her hand out to Loki, smiling politely. "Hello. I don't believe I caught your name. I'm Jane."

Okay… So Jane didn't recognize Loki. This could either go really well – with Jane having already seen Loki as a person and all that – or this could go very badly. Toni was hoping for the former, but with the look Thor was shooting her over Jane's shoulder, she was betting on the latter.

Loki was on his best behavior, though; he stepped to Toni's side before taking Jane's hand a placing a small kiss on her knuckles. Jane blushed slightly and giggled, and Toni's feeling of impending doom subtly retreated. "It is a pleasure, Lady Jane. I am Loki – Thor's brother and Toni Stark's lover".

"You're better for more than just sex, Sweet Cheeks. Try boyfriend". Loki smirked down at Toni, who was trying to ignore the awkward silence from Jane. Unfortunately, that was not easily done, and that sense of impending doom was back in full force. For all that Loki was a very good distraction, he wasn't good enough to ease Toni's nerves.

"You're Thor's brother! He's _that_ Loki!" Jane's voice cut through what little hope Toni had managed to cling to. She sounded halfway to hysterical, and it was with great reluctance that Toni looked away from her lovely god to meet Jane's panicked eyes. "What are you doing here? After everything you've done, you should be locked up for eternity! You tried to kill Thor!"

Thor had stepped in closer, a hand settling on Jane's shoulder with the intent to soothe. "Jane, he has already been punished for his actions and is here to make amends".

"It's already been a year, Thor! And here he is living with you! And apparently sleeping with Stark!" Oh, Jane was on a roll now. She pulled away from Thor, getting right up into Toni's face, and it really wasn't fair that she was just a bit taller than Toni. "I'd heard all about your lifestyle – about everyone you've slept with – but this is a low even for you. I thought you were an unparalleled genius, but here you are claiming to be a hero and claiming to be Thor's friend yet you're sleeping with this psychopath".

"Jane-", Thor started to say, but Jane cut him off. Toni just held her ground, jaw tight and hands clenched at her sides.

"You obviously are just some self-centered trick-turning whore if this is how you go about treating the people you care about. Your _boyfriend_ is a sick freak who should have been killed, not curled up in luxury and comfortable. He's hurt the man who calls him family – hurt him both emotionally and physically and actually killed him. He's attempted genocide and he's killed hundreds of innocent lives".

"And what gives you the right to judge Loki, huh? You know nothing about him, or what he's done or is going to do! He's served his time, and SHIELD gave him permission to stay, but you think to come in here and condemn him all over again! What the fuck gives you that power!" To say Toni was pissed now was a bit of an understatement.

"I love Thor, and I want that aberration as far away as from him as possible, even if that means he rots in some cell in the pits of Asgard!"

"You _love_ Thor? Really, because I spend more time with my gynecologist then you have ever spent with him! Yeah, you know he's an alien prince, and you think he's fascinating because of that, but don't try to tell me your in love!"

"I love him – truly and deeply love him! We-"

"Alright, then what's Thor's favorite place to visit in the city? What's his most treasured memory? How did he spend his summers as a kid? I bet you don't even know how old he is, or when he celebrates his birthday!"

"And you think you know!"

"Yeah, I do! Because Thor's my bud and we watch movies together and go shopping and I taught him how to play MarioKart and Call of Duty and how to use the internet! And now I'm dating his brother and Thor doesn't care because they are finally acting like proper bros again, and I'm not going to let you fuck that up!"

"I was important enough to get Thor to change! I was the very reason he got to go home and defeat his twisted little brother!"

"Whatever you think you did would have been nothing if Loki hadn't sent that robot thing down to Earth! Besides, how do _you_ get to take credit for the fact that Thor put his life on the line? Thor was deemed worthy because he was willing to sacrifice himself to protect others, and he was willing to do that because he's really just a good guy! Yeah, a bit arrogant, but he wasn't humbled by anything you did; anyone would be feeling a little low after they just got banished and practically disowned by their father! Thor would have learned his lesson whether you were there or not. Love's got nothing to do with it."

Jane was livid, face red as she and Toni screamed at each other. Loki just stood by, rather amused; he was rather pissed with what Jane was saying about his woman, but Toni was more than capable of handling herself against the uppity astrophysicist. Thor was distressed, practically wringing his hands as he watched the two women go at it. The rest of the Avengers watched things play out in silence, either too shocked (Steve) or too busy taking bets (Natasha, Clint, and Bruce) to join in.

But calling Jane a bitch seemed to be the tipping point, and the slightly taller woman gave Toni a hard shove, causing her to stumble back a few steps. Loki was quick to grab Toni's elbow, steadying her, but that snapped Jane's attention back to him, her voice almost growling with how low it was. "I wish they had put you down like the beast you are, you malformed Jotun monster".

Oh, that was it. Anything that might have been redeeming about Jane was in no way good enough to erase that insult. Toni was enraged that someone so ridiculously ignorant thought they could come to her home and act this way. No one got to speak like that to her friends. And it was a low blow too – one that worked rather well, if they way Loki's hand tightened on Toni's arm was any indication. So Toni straightened up to her full height of 5'2", and she pulled her arm back and swung.

The crack of Toni's first colliding with Jane's face was extremely satisfying. The other woman went down hard, and Toni was smiling widely as that bitch lay sprawled across her floor. She hardly even noticed how her hand hurt, too happy with this minor victory.

Everyone else was in too much shock to really scold Toni or help Jane. Even Loki and Tasha seemed a bit surprised at how violent that was. Thor looked horrified, though, but before he could do anything, Jane was scrambling back up to her feet, a hand pressed to the cheek that was beginning to bruise already.

"You- you-", Jane stuttered, unable to think through the pain and indignation she was feeling. Toni was still smug, and her eyes screamed that another chance to hit Jane would be perfectly welcome. Instead – and rather intelligently – Jane opted for retreat, heading towards the elevator. "Let's get out of here, Thor".

But Thor didn't move, standing straight-backed and looking terribly torn. He kept glancing between Jane – who was frowning at him – and Toni and Loki. It was obvious he didn't want to just leave his friends or brother, but this was Jane, his _girlfriend_. And the bitch was trying to make the poor guy choose.

Thor tried to stutter out some kind of plea, but Jane was not having any of it. "Thor, come on! You really aren't going to stay here with _them_ after they hurt me!"

Toni was frowning sharply again. She wanted Jane to leave and Thor to stay. Because if Thor left, anything that had been fixed between he and Loki was going to be ruined again. He could not in any way pick Jane over Loki. That had been part of their problem before, and doing so again was only going to reaffirm all the self-doubt and hatred that Loki felt when it came to his brother.

Thank god for Clint though, because he cut in before Thor could do something stupid. "Bros before hoes, dude". Toni was going to buy him his own military-grade helicopter or something equally awesome and stupidly expensive. The guy deserved it.

That interruption seemed to settle Thor's mind, because he settle a hand on Jane's shoulder, leading her to the elevator. She seemed cocky that the god was going to go with her until she stepped into the elevator itself and he didn't follow.

"I'm sorry Jane, but I don't think I can attend to you anymore. I think it is best to now say goodbye for a good while". Thor looked a bit sad, but determined as he spoke.

Jane looked deliciously pissed as the elevator doors closed in her face.

It took another moment longer before the Avengers (and Loki) had collected themselves again. Toni wanted to laugh her ass off, but Thor looked more than a little heartbroken, and while she wasn't sorry about what she did, she was sorry he was upset. So, taking one of his overly-muscled arms, Toni led him to sit down on the couch. Tasha picked up on what was going on and fetched three large tubs of ice cream and a bunch of spoons from the kitchen.

Everyone else pitched in until they all sat around the common room. Toni was squished in between her two favorite Norse gods, who both seemed intent to cuddle her to death. Clint, Steve, and Bruce were jammed into the other couch, and Natasha had stretched across their laps. Then the stupid movie marathon began and delicious ice cream was had by all.

Only Toni noticed how Loki would reach behind her to squeeze Thor's shoulder whenever he would sniffle, or how Thor would put his hand on top of Loki's and squeeze back. She thought it was really cute.

* * *

**Also, thanks to all the amazing reviews I've been getting for both this and Love Isn't All It's Cracked Up to Be! You guys are all amazing and wonderful to share such positive messages with me!**

**Oh, and to TheNightIsDark: Feel free to use anything you want from the stories! I'm already borrowing the characters from Marvel, and even some of the concepts, so I don't mind at all if you want to use the 'language of the nine realms' bit :D**


	5. Loki's First Valentine's Day

**Hello darlings! Happy V-Day to everyone! I come bearing the gift of a new chapter for you all!**

**A note: When writing this, I realized I really have no timeline for when anything is taking place, so this chapter might seem a little out of place. It actually is taking place a while in the future, but I'm throwing it in now because of Valentine's Day, and also my need for lovely gooey fluff. For reference, the Jane Incident takes place around July, so this would be several months later in February of the next year.**

**And to Rayven Plexure: Darcy is most definitely one of my favorite characters, and she is going to make an appearance in the later chapters. It promises to a be a good and crazy time.**

* * *

It was February 13th, and Toni was not happy. No matter what she did, this time of year always seemed to sneak up on her. It was more than a bit shitty, with Toni's perpetual distaste for romantic tropes and the fact that every nerd or player in the country decided to spontaneously woo her. She had learned a long time ago that the best way to weather Valentine's Day was to hole up in her lab and let Pepper handle the thousands of flowers, cards, and gifts that were all delivered.

Why so many men thought that the infamous playgirl and notoriously independent tomboy was going to suddenly fall at their feet over a dozen roses was mystifying. Sometimes people did manage to come up with something clever – like a tiny little replica of Iron Man that sang 'Let's Get It On', which left Toni on the floor laughing her ass off – but most were the typical Valentine's gifts and not even worth Toni's attention. So Pepper had all the flowers donated, and the chocolates were handed out amongst SI employees, and only the really offensive or funny things got passed on to Toni.

This year was certain to be even worse than usual, though. Now, everyone had seen the footage of Toni in her suit saving the world, and already fanmail had hit a record high, so certainly her Valentines would too. Pepper had even hired a few interns just to sort through all the junk they had been getting, and it was almost scary how that was a necessity. Toni just wanted to spend her Valentine's Day like any other regular day, but it wasn't going to happen.

On top of the horror of the romantic holiday, Loki had made himself scarce for the past few days. He was spending all his days in one of the studies, fiddling around on his computer doing who knows what. JARVIS wouldn't even tell Toni what the god was doing, and it was rather annoying, but she was trying really hard not to be overly nosy. If Loki wanted to share, then he would; besides, as long as he wasn't being actively naughty, then Toni couldn't really interfere. Either way, he always was done by the time night rolled around, so she couldn't complain that it was cutting into sex either.

But now it was the night before Valentine's Day, and an accidental explosion involving unmonitored chemical reactions had taken out her lab – her SANCTUARY! Toni was going to be stuck in the kitschy reality of the atrocious holiday, and she knew that Clint had already gotten ahold of some Cupid arrows to shoot at her and Loki throughout the day. If the little fucker thought that was going to go over well, then he was going to realize how wrong he was when he woke up with a mutilated bow in his bed.

So Toni took this time to complain to her boyfriend, who was looking way to amused at Toni's discomfort.

"No, you don't understand. If I'm not in my lab, then I'm free game for Clint. I can't go outside because there will be lovesick teenage nerds with geek-boners for me swarming me for attention, and that fucking little Cupid is going to so make my life a living hell. I know he is. JARVIS told me he's spent all day memorizing cheesy love songs and stupid Valentine's poems to use on me whenever he can", Toni scowled. Loki was practically laughing at how uncomfortable she was just with the thought of all this, and Toni took minor revenge in poking him hard in that spot under his ribs that was very ticklish. Loki squirmed.

"It's not going to be all bad, love. You'll have me all day, after all".

"I would rather have my lab", Toni muttered, but she knew that was the wrong thing to say the moment it left her mouth, and Loki stiffening next to her only confirmed. So she hastily backtracked. "With you in it of course. We could spend the whole day together in uninterrupted bliss while the rest of the world rotted in a sappy and sentimental hell".

Loki laughed at that, and Toni felt greatly relieved. "We'll just have to suffer that hell together, then".

"Oh, you're going to wish you hadn't said that", Toni teased. "As soon as Pepper found out that I couldn't hide away like normal, she 'volunteered' me to sort through my own damn Valentines, and you are going to help me".

Loki only laughed again, but Toni smirked as she curled against his side, knowing that the god was hopelessly clueless about how horrid the day was going to be.

Valentine's Day started with a bright and dazzling sunrise that woke Toni up despite how JARVIS was supposed to keep the windows dark until Toni woke up around noon. Instead, bright beams of light disturbed Toni's sleep at 6:51 AM. She would have normally mumbled at her AI to shut the fucking blinds, but as soon as the she made a sound, Loki was there. He seemed unnaturally awake and excited for such an ungodly hour.

"Come watch the sunrise with me, my dear. It's quite a lovely view", Loki's voice was soft and pleasant and something that certainly would love listening to, but his words weren't making any sense in Toni's sleep-addled mind. He was nearly as bad as her about getting up in the morning, the both of them preferring a little sex very late in the morning, then lazing about for a long while before joining the world proper. But Toni's growling protest went unheeded as Loki gently but forcibly dragged her out of bed and over to the windows.

The light was too bright for Toni's eyes, so she instead leaned back into Loki and tried to fall asleep on him. He refused to let her, nudging her every time she got near to it. That really wasn't fair of him, because Loki was humming the quiet little melody that Toni had long ago decided was her favorite song and lullaby, plus he was already very nearly just carrying her, the both of them swaying lightly to Loki's song. It was way too peaceful and cozy to try and stay awake during, but Loki just wouldn't let her sleep – damn him!

"No more sleeping for you, dearest. Miss Pepper wants you downstairs and awake in less than an hour to sort through the mailings".

Toni groaned out some sort of complaint, but Loki only chuckled in her ear before dragging her to the bathroom for a shower and wake-up sex.

Toni's Valentines really were impressive this year. The entire 52nd floor ballroom was full, even though it was holding only the flowers; chocolates were crated up on the floor below with several boxes of 'assorted gifts'; cards alone had an entire board room filled. It was almost terrifying in how overwhelmingly much there was, and this was just the stuff that arrived early or on time. More would surely come in over the next few days, but Toni was sincerely hoping that her lab would be at least partially functional by the end of the day.

Loki seemed almost shell-shocked by the sheer number of things that had arrived. But he had said he wanted to spend the day with her, and Toni wasn't about to let him back out now. So when Pepper directed them to start with the flowers, Toni took her lover's hand and pulled him along too.

"Just find the cards, and if you don't recognize the name, move on. If it is someone you know, then just tell JARVIS and he'll send out a thank you".

Toni rolled her eyes. "Geez, Pep. You would think I've never done this before".

Pepper sent her a sharp glare. "Because you haven't ever done this before. You always shove it off on me to make sure that no one important is insulted by a lack of response that would certainly happen if you had your way and just sent everything straight to the garbage".

"Who the hell is so important that their flowers deserve a thank you?"

"Every single one of Stark Industries business associates, or potential business associates; the senators I have to shmooze to keep this company floating for you; important investors who only stay onboard with us because I let them think they have a shot at dating you – though why the hell they would want to still confounds me. They all get thanked for their gifts because we can't risk letting you offend _everyone_".

Toni sighed, but reluctantly conceded to Pepper's superior knowledge of the business and politics game. Besides, no protest would get her out of this. It was probably punishment for the three weeks it took her to remember to tell Pepper that she and Loki were officially dating. Pepper had been pissed at that. Pepper had been _terrifyingly_ pissed about that, and she still was mad about it, and now she was taking her revenge.

And that began the arduous task of sorting through the mountainous amounts of flowers. Toni and Loki worked in tandem, working down the rows of cards and double checking with JARVIS if any of them might have been from someone important. Most weren't, which Toni had figured on. She hadn't counted on the sheer amount of romantic garbage that was being written in her name, though. Most of it was just sickening and quickly discarded, but Toni did keep a few of the cards that were particularly atrocious – or on the rare occasions one was actually clever, she would keep those too.

"Loki! Loki look!" Toni called across the row to the god. He seemed more than happy to leave behind his work, though he was moving along a lot faster than Toni. "Look at these cards! Aren't they atrocious?"

And they were. There was one that was with a terribly cheesy robot that said "You've downloaded my heart". Another was just a badly drawn penis with "I just want in your pants" underneath it. Toni's favorite, though, in the category of Worst Valentine's Day Card Ever was the one that had a picture of a naked version of Disney's Aladdin on a magic carpet that said "My cock will show you a whole new world" in bright glittery letters. Toni was laughing her ass off at the horridness of it all.

Loki looked mildly nauseated at the cards, and maybe a little pissed off, but Toni didn't notice. She was already turning back to her side of the flowers, which where now just over half-way sorted. This was taking way too long, and then there were still the gift to go through – thank gods that Pepper wasn't going to make her do the chocolate and cards too.

The next hour was spent with Toni constantly bitching about flowers and how cliché they were. Loki never made a comment or tried to interrupt, but he also finished with his side first, so Toni didn't pay much mind. She slipped the few cards that managed to impress her into the back pocket of her jeans, then let Loki take her hand as they made their way to the room with the gifts.

Thank gods for interns, Toni thought. They had already gone in and opened all the gifts, trashing the most inappropriate or dangerous ones. There was still a disturbing amount of lingerie scattered around the room though. It looked like someone had bought out several entire stores worth of Victoria's Secret. Toni also thought she spotted something that looked suspiciously like a vibrator sticking out of the garbage too. Loki glared at it all, but Toni just sighed.

In the end, all the lingerie got thrown away. Though there was a Princess Leia bikini that she would have liked to keep, but Loki was not going to let her keep anything even remotely sexual that someone else had gotten for her. Toni thought she should have at least tried it on – it looked like whoever had gotten it had cyber-stalked her measurements, even – but Loki had been adamant that it was not going to happen.

There were practically no other gifts in the room besides sex toys and lacy underwear, though, and Toni was oddly disappointed in her fans. Some ass had even sent her a copy of Fifty Shade of Grey. The only thing worth keeping at all was a set of bumper stickers that said "My other ride is Iron Man". She had taken one and tried to discreetly stick it on Loki's butt when they were leaving, pretending to just grab his ass, but he caught her with a smirk.

That was alright, though. The week before, Toni had already secretly added little tags to all of Loki's clothing that said "Property of Stark". And not-so-secretly written it on his face in permanent marker.

Another three hours found everything properly sorted and various messages of gratitude sent out. Toni was so relieved to finally be done. She was exhausted though, both from the tedious job of sorting and from being forced into waking up early by the thrice-cursed sun. So she bypassed all the Avenger's floors and headed straight back up to her bed. It was a nice and comfortable place to be, and maybe she could take a nap before being woken up by sex with Loki. She daydreamed lazily about that as the elevator reached her floor.

It was only upon collapsing into her bed that Toni realized she had lost Loki somewhere along the way. Sitting up a bit, she called out to her AI, "JARV, where did Loki disappear to?"

"He is in the study".

"What's he doing there?" Toni questioned, puzzled.

"Master Loki wishes me to tell you that he has business to attend to. He also says that you may nap if you wish; he will wake you for lunch".

"Oh, cool". Then Toni fell back into her nest of pillows and comfort before easily falling asleep.

Loki didn't wake her up for lunch, and neither did JARVIS. It wasn't until almost seven in the evening that JARVIS woke her with the sounds of a yowling cat. It was an unpleasant awakening, to say the least, plus all the sleep that Toni had gotten only left her feeling worse than before. Her mouth was all sticky and nasty tasting, and her head felt grossly fuzzy. So, Toni decided to just ignore JARVIS's alarm and go back to sleep. Maybe if she slept throughout the whole night, she would feel better in the morning.

JARVIS didn't seem to like the plan, though, as he played that stupid cat noise again before saying something about Loki and the balcony or whatever. Toni just muted the AI before rolling over and slipping back towards sleep. Of course, that was when Pepper showed up, snapping at her about getting dressed or something – which was ridiculous because Toni was already dressed; she hadn't even taken her jeans off. It took longer to get rid of Pepper, but finally Toni just snapped out something about having already done enough for Pepper, and that little burst of irrational anger was just enough to get her PA to leave.

She had almost managed to start dreaming again when an unhappy Loki very suddenly shook her awake. After a moment of thrashing, Toni whined, "Loki, I'm trying to sleep".

"Get up", Loki snapped. He was frowning sharply down at Toni, but he really just looked uncomfortable for some reason that Toni was too muddled to think about. "You need to get up and get dressed. Miss Pepper has selected appropriate attire, then you can come out to the balcony".

"I don't wanna get up – I'm tired and icky. Besides, it's cold outside, babe. I'll freeze my boobs off or something".

"Toni, you need to get up". Loki wasn't letting up, but Toni was determined to out-stubborn him.

"No", Toni pouted.

"Toni, you have to".

"I don't have to do anything".

"Toni!"

"No, Loki! Just leave me alone!" Toni hadn't intended to be so sharp in her reply, but she just really wanted this day to end, and sleeping would help that along quite a bit. Toni had to keep her face stubbornly turned away from Loki, though, because she was sure he was looking a little heartbroken at that moment, and she definitely couldn't handle that.

Loki's reply was quiet, sad, and entirely unexpected. "But it's Valentine's Day".

Toni slowly turned to stare at the god in no little amount of confusion. "What?"

"It's Valentine's Day today. A day when couples are supposed to exchange gifts and spend time together and show how much they love each other!" Loki was agitated – that was plainly obvious – but Toni was still extremely befuddled. Her mind couldn't equate how a stupid overly-commercialized holiday for a Christian saint could hold any significance for a Norse god.

"Loki... I don't get it".

"It's Valentine's Day". Did Loki look nervous? Loki was never nervous, but Toni sure thought he looked it now.

"You keep saying that like it's supposed to mean something, babe".

"Because it is supposed to mean something! It's when I'm supposed to show how much I love you! I've been researching it all week now since Natasha first mentioned it. I'm supposed to get you a gift – something thoughtful but not something you need - and I can't ask what you want because then that doesn't count. I'm supposed to give you romance; I'm supposed to bring you flowers and love notes and everything needs to be creative and unique but not weird". Loki was starting to look a little panicked, eyes flitting around the room, but Toni was still trying to process what was going on. "I planned everything out. First a romantic sunrise to start the morning, then the whole day together. After that, I arranged a proper dinner and set up the table and the candles on the balcony for the best view. There, after eating, I would give you your flowers and your gift and tell you how very much I love you".

Toni's head was spinning a bit. On a scale of weirdness from one to Japanese Game show, this was pretty high up there. But it explained Loki's preoccupation for the past few days, plus Loki being so damn awake so early in the morning. It was just strange that Loki – who had cockily led a doomed-to-fail alien invasion – was freaking out so badly over something so insignificant.

"But then this morning you didn't seem to enjoy the sunrise at all. Then there were all those things that you had gotten – gifts, cards, candy, flowers. All the traditional Valentine's Day treats were present, and you were just picking through them and telling me how cheesy or corny or lame they all were. And if such gifts were so unworthy of you, then how could anything I have done – any of the ignorant or poorly planned things I have conceived – ever hope to do better".

Oh... Oh god, that was so terribly sad but also so adorable that Loki would be torn up about Valentine's Day because he thought it was important to Toni.

"Loki, I'm sorry. I just figured since you don't celebrate Valentine's Day up in Asgard, that we weren't going to do anything special".

Frowning, Loki looked back at Toni. "But is it not celebrated here? I had gathered that it was a very important day for couples".

"Well, I guess America as a whole celebrates and does stuff. But I've never celebrated it myself. And it never occurred to me to start once we hooked up".

"So... we won't be celebrating Valentine's Day?" Loki seemed a little hesitant to ask and significantly saddened by the thought.

Toni smirked, reaching out to run her fingers along Loki's jaw. "Well, I guess we could figure it out together. It'll be more fun that way".

Loki smiled, and for a moment it was a real smile, something bright and gleeful and almost childlike in its brilliance. Then a familiar smirk quickly replaced it, and Toni might have been a little disappointed if that wasn't her favorite smirk that promised fun and mischief and sex.

So Loki stood and left to finish setting up their dinner date, waving his hand to show Toni where her own outfit was laying. It was only when her sexy Trickster boyfriend reached the doorway of their room that she finally noticed his outfit. He was in sinfully tight black pinstriped pants with a matching waistcoat. Under that was a deep emerald dress shirt and a thin black tie. Loki had even swept his hair back into a low ponytail tied with what looked like a silk band.

Toni really wanted to just grab that ponytail and pull the sexy fucker back to bed, but Loki was already gone before she could.

The outfit Pepper had arranged was gorgeously perfect. It was a knee-length halter-top dress that was mostly black with flashes of gold and bright red to keep it from being boring. The dress also featured a plunging neckline that Toni would have never worn in public – not because of modest or decency, but because Toni wasn't fond of showing off her arc reactor. When on, the dress was deliciously tight to the point that Toni decided to not wear underwear beneath it. You know, so no underwear lines would be visible and not because it would help drive Loki just a little bit more wild.

Toni's hair was a little more difficult than just slipping on her dress was, unfortunately. She kept it too short to really style any, so she just combed out the tangles and bedhead she currently had and left it at that. Toni also briefly thought about wearing some make-up, but she was quickly brought to her sense by the realization that she didn't even own make-up – and if she did, she wouldn't know what to do with it anyway. So instead, Toni slid on the pair of red pumps that were waiting by the door, then she stepped out.

The table setup on the balcony was beautiful. It was smaller than a normal table, which meant that Loki and Toni could sit closer, and it was covered in this silky golden table cloth with black lace on top. There were small candles at one side of the table – not in the middle were they would be between the couple – and the plates and silverware were all a deep black stone with tiny flecks of gold and blue and green in them. Stepping outside, Toni also realized that small heaters had been discreetly place around the table to keep her from freezing.

Toni's favorite thing about it all was how Loki looked standing there and smiling at her. The smile wasn't one she saw often. It was soft and joyful and sad and vulnerable all wrapped together, and it was possibly the most beautiful thing Toni had ever seen. That - along with the flicker of candlelight warming Loki's skin and deepening the colors of his eyes and outfit – made Toni's breath catch for a long moment. She hoped JARVIS had cameras on them because this was definitely a picture she was going to be revisiting a lot.

Then Loki was in front of her, taking her hand and kissing it. "You look beyond stunning, my love", he murmured against the skin of her knuckles. And even though it was horribly cliché and silly, Toni couldn't help but blush just a little bit. Maybe all of the Valentine's Day craze wasn't entirely ridiculous.

The dinner itself was delightfully strange too. Toni had no idea what she was eating, just that Loki had made it and that it was delicious. Everything seemed fuzzy and warm and wonderful in the best possible way. It wasn't at all cheesy like Toni had feared; it couldn't be when Loki and Toni where involved. Their usual banter and teasing where preserved, and everything was still very much them but it just felt softer and sweeter. Toni actually really liked that.

After they finished the last course of whatever they were eating, Loki set a small box on the table along with one champagne-colored rose. He pushed them both to Toni, that beautifully vulnerable smile back in full force. With slow movements not unlike a dream, Toni opened the box.

Inside was a small card laying atop a necklace. Toni picked up the little piece of paper first, reading what was written in Loki's very distinctive handwriting.

_I 0100110001001111010101100100 0101 you._

Toni laughed softly, flashing a smile up at Loki because that was actually cute, and he obviously put some thought into it. "I love you too, babe". Loki's smile turned just a little brighter, gesturing to the box still in front of her.

Looking back to the box, Toni lifted out the necklace. It was a small piece that was sleek, modern, and very Toni. The pendant on it was a microchip between two pieces of brushed stainless steel, and as she smiled her approval at Loki, he was already moving behind her to help her put it on. Loki's fingers brushed hers as he carefully lifted the necklace away from her hands, clasping it around her neck. The soft caress of Loki's touch on the back of Toni's neck was so amazingly sensual, and when Loki followed that up by pressing a soft kiss to the nape of her neck, Toni shivered. She sincerely and desperately hoped that Loki's plan for the rest of the night involved much more of that.

Luckily, even if Loki had planned something different, he was no longer interested in sticking with the plan. He quickly took Toni's hand, guiding her back inside. Toni wondered at how such simple touches could feel so powerful, but she didn't think on it for long. Soon enough, Loki was distracting her with much less innocent touches, and Toni was loving it.

The next morning, Toni decided that maybe Valentine's Day was actually kind of fun.

* * *

**When I wrote this chapter, I actually pretended to be Loki and play the part of any outsider looking in at America's V-Day traditions. It was actually pretty overwhelming, and if you want to try it then just Google "Valentine's date ideas for smart girlfriend". Poor Loki was in way over his head and too stubborn to ask for help, and Toni was just obliviously making it worse.**

**Also, the necklace in the story is based on a real one that can be seen here: 001/0/6457090/il_570xN.386149260_ **

**And for anyone not inclined to look up the little bit of binary code that Loki used, the card simply reads "I love you".**


	6. Fallout

**Oh gods, why is this chapter so long? And is that a plot hidden somewhere inside? What have I done!?**

**Ugh, oh well. Sorry this took so long, though some of you might have already seen my apology on tumblr. If you haven't seen my little apology gift, here it is: post/44126702643/so-this-is-an-apology-gift-for-everyone-waiting-on**

**Also, I really don't hate Steve, no matter how much I make him seem like an ass. He'll get his chance in two chapters or so. Until then, he's gonna be a dick.**

* * *

Someone was banging on the door.

But it was butt-fuck early in the morning and Toni couldn't be arsed to move from the bed, so she mumbled something nearly incoherent about going away and hoped that JARVIS would relay the message. The banging didn't stop, though, and Loki was stirring awake – which was not good because he was a crank when he first got up. Unfortunately, before Toni could scramble away, Loki got a foot in her side and shoved, sending the genius sprawling across the floor in order to make his displeasure unknown. In revenge, Toni took the blankets with her.

Still ignoring whoever dared to disturb the happy couple, Loki peered over the edge of the bed, growling at Toni, who glared back. When Loki opened his mouth, though, Toni cut him off.

"Go ahead. Call me a vagina and see what happens", Toni warned harshly, putting on her best don't-fuck-with-me-it's-way-too-early look. Loki – wisely – backed off, eyebrow's sky-high as he shut his mouth and retreated to his side of the bed. Toni just glared a bit longer for effect before stumbling to her feet and moving to the door, blankets wrapped around her body.

Throwing open the door, Toni squinted and hissed at the hallway light, which was almost blinding her after the darkness of the bedroom. Luckily, Steve was there; his serum-strengthened muscles blocked out the worst of the glare.

"Fury wants you and Loki down in the common room ASAP", Steve sighed. He sounded tired, so SHIELD had gotten him up too early too. But because he was Steve, he was not nearly as grumpy about it as Toni and Loki were sure to be.

"Fury wants a lot of things, Oh Captain My Captain. Unfortunately for him, my official consulting times don't start for another 32 hours, so until then, he can go snack on some bird shit".

Another one of Steve's disapproving sighs made an appearance as Loki snickered in the background, but Toni was too busy trying to shut the door in his face to care. Steve was faster and more awake, though, and he managed to grab the door before it could fully shut. Toni scowled and shoved, putting her all her weight into it, but Steve just opened the door back up like Toni wasn't even there. It was like watching a toddler trying to shut the door on a giant.

Loki giggled. Toni growled.

"Go away, Steve. I'm actually sleeping tonight and I would appreciate if you didn't interrupt", Toni scolded, but Steve was maybe less accepting of the early hour than Toni previously thought, because he just wrapped an arm around her waist and flipped her up over his shoulder. Then he carried her out of the room as Loki just stared on in mild alarm.

It took a long moment for Toni's tired brain to catch up with what had just happened, but then she started to kick and struggle. Especially because she had lost the blankets along the way, and she was only wearing a tank-top, something barely long enough to cover her bare ass when she was standing, let alone slung over like she was at the moment. Which meant her naked butt was just an inch or so from Steve's face – a fact to which he was completely oblivious. So Toni kicked and struggled and called out for Loki to come save her ass (and Steve's purity).

But the smarmy bastard was obviously taking his time, because Steve managed to carry Toni all they way down to the common area where Fury, the team, and a few assorted SHIELD agents were already waiting. By this point, Toni had given up on struggling, having accepted her fate. But it certainly wasn't her best entrance – though perhaps the most shocking - coming in naked ass first, and when Steve finally put her down, everyone's faces were worth it.

Fury was shaking his head and muttering, eyes down. Thor had a hand slapped over his face, and Clint had plainly been ogling her until Natasha had hit him. The few SHIELD boys were all red-faced and staring with wide eyes, but Bruce was just smiling fondly if tiredly. Steve looked confused as too everyone's reactions, but then he actually bothered to look at Toni – and her state of dress – who was just staring back up at him with a look that screamed _really?_

His reaction turned out to be the best of them all. Toni watched as Steve slowly realized that she wasn't wearing any pants. He looked horrified, terrified and utterly embarrassed with wide eyes, red face, and a gaping mouth. His hands were jerking in aborted apologetic gestures, and there was a twitch at the corner of one eye. It was hilarious, and Toni couldn't help but tease.

"I never knew you worked that way, big guy. So forceful", Toni purred as she playfully pinched Steve's arm and winked. He was really frozen then, and Toni stepped back with a chuckle. Then Loki was walking into the room and up to Toni's side. He handed her a pair of shorts, which Toni slipped on without argument.

"I would appreciate if you didn't take advantage of my woman like that again, Rogers", Loki warned, wrapping an arm around Toni's shoulder as she straightened again. Toni let her god pull her to the couch, laughing silently. She knew that Loki was only half serious in his warning, so she didn't discourage him. Plus, she was pretty peeved that Steve would just manhandle her like that. It wasn't cool.

But Fury cut in – totally ignoring the fact that Steve was still stuck in his own shame – and turned to address everyone else.

"Nice of you to finally join us, Stark".

"Pleasure to be here, Nicky".

Fury just grunted before stalking over to the television and flicking it on dramatically. "We have a bit of a situation right now, and we need you all on it".

Fury's gruff nonchalance was not nearly frantic enough for just how crazy the 'situation' was. Because on every news station – every channel – there is one big breaking story running - Toni Stark and her Super-Villain Boyfriend.

Fury didn't let the news play out, but he didn't need to. It was obvious that not only had Loki been identified – correctly – as the leader of the Chitauri invasion, but he was marked as being back on Earth, living with The Avengers themselves, and even dating Toni. What was confusing was how this got out at all.

SHIELD had managed to snag all video and photo evidence showing clear shots of Loki almost immediately after the invasion. Sure, there were eye-witnesses who had seen Loki – especially in Germany – but the descriptions normally only talked about large golden horns, a green cape, and a scary spear – not enough to identify Loki when he wasn't all decked out like a crazy, war-mongering goat.

So the leak had to be someone with inside knowledge of the invasion, and also knowledge of more recent events too. At first the idea of a faceless baby SHIELD agent occurred to Toni, but then she thought up a better one.

"Jane", Toni said, only half-asking for confirmation from the Director. She was pretty confident that she was right, and when Fury nodded, she wasn't surprised.

"Dr. Foster has apparently done a 'reveal all' exposition for several different magazines and news agencies over the past two days. Now the story has broken. The Avengers are targets – Stark especially – and this needs to be fixed".

"I thought Foster was under SHIELD's thumb? Shouldn't you have prevented this?" Toni questioned. Everyone was taking this development relatively well – except Thor, who looked hurt and extremely guilty. It helped that Fury wasn't quite yelling yet; it wasn't that deceptively calm but totally raging inside sort of quiet either, so SHIELD must have some sort of plan in mind.

"She swindled a day-off without supervision – said she was going out to meet a _friend_", Fury sighed. "Her supervisor let her go unwatched; he didn't want to interfere with a date".

"A date with a reporter, I assume". Toni stretched across the couch – and Loki's lap – to pat an unhappy Thor on the shoulder. The blonde teddy bear looked absolutely crushed by his ex-girlfriend's actions, so Toni offered what comforts she could. Thor had no reason to be guilty for all this, even though he was sure to be. "I am assuming SHIELD already has a plan though?"

"Of course", Fury responded, waving one of the baby agents forward to hand out packets of information. "We'll be having a press conference in a few hours. Stark and Rogers will be there, reading directly from their cards – no variations, Stark – and hopefully this should clear this up".

They all flicked through the information provided, and it seemed solid enough. Toni and Steve's part would be relatively simple, and nothing at all would change for Loki. But it unsettled Toni slightly. SHIELD's plan was to entirely discredit Jane and deny her accusations. This included smearing her in a way that would make even the nastiest politicians uneasy.

There were 'witnesses', police reports, and official psychiatric evaluations that would label Jane Foster as an unstable, hostile, and chronically lying sociopath who had it out for Stark Industries and SHIELD after they refused further funding for her research. It wasn't something that Toni wanted to see, and Steve looked entirely uncomfortable with it too.

"I don't like it", Toni spoke up, setting aside SHIELD's information. "Smearing Dr. Foster will seriously undermine any legitimate research she has done. Plus, I just don't like throwing her under the bus like this. I have a better idea".

Now all eyes were on Toni – nothing new there – and Fury let her continue, no matter how much he didn't want to. "Go on, Stark. Share with the class".

"We don't deny anything".

Silence. Then, "Goddamnit Stark! Aren't you supposed to be a genius?"

"Yes, I am a genius, which is why my idea is better".

Fury made to cut her off again, but Steve stopped him. "We should at least hear her out, sir".

Toni didn't wait for further permission.

"Look, we could argue with the press all we want, but once they get a good story, it's no use. The press will run with this and anything we say will just be seen as the cover-up it is. So, instead we come clean". There were nods from most of the team, and a little squeeze from Loki's arms around her waist let her know that she was making a good point. "Steve, Thor, Loki and I all attend the press conference. We come clean about Loki living here – say he's here to make amends - because he is. And if the press wants to know why we were so willing to let him stay, we feed them a story about how Loki was being controlled by some outside entity that used him for a pawn, but that once the control was broken, he was sorry".

Fury actually looked to be considering it, and Natasha was nodding her head, so she seemed to agree. But there was something in Steve's face that said he wasn't thinking so much about the press conference, instead considering something else.

"Is it true?" Steve's question catches them all off-guard, and Toni isn't really sure what he's asking.

"Is what true?"

"The mind control thing. Is that true?"

Toni shrugged. "I don't know, but the more we can make Loki a sympathetic victim, the less shit we'll get from the public".

Steve looked uncomfortable again. "I don't think that's a good idea. I don't think we should lie to the people at all. Loki led that invasion and to let anyone think he's not dangerous is a mistake".

"If it eases your conscience, Captain", Loki interrupted, "while I wasn't being controlled so directly, I was certainly being manipulated". Loki looked unhappy and mildly disgusted to admit that, but everyone else was just silently shocked. Except Toni, of course. She and Loki had never really discussed anything, but just from knowing Loki, she had realized some time ago that the invasion was not up to his normal standards of clever and devious. So it only made sense that someone else was pulling the strings.

Trying to get the planning back on track, Toni spoke out. "It doesn't matter either way. We hold the press conference, come clean about everything, but we down play the seriousness and danger of the whole situation. Say that we kept quiet about it all to give Loki time to recover and adjust, and that Dr. Foster – while well-meaning – didn't know the whole story and acted rashly. Then we can avoid the worst accusations of a cover-up".

Fury didn't immediately say anything, first looking to Natasha; she sent him a look that must have been convincing because then the Director was nodding. There was no more discussion after that, just Fury and his SHIELD-lings heading out with promises to prepare cards for everyone who would be at the press conference. That left the team alone with only a few hours to wake up properly and get ready.

In the wake of Fury's departure, the quiet and calm didn't last long. Thor was still upset by Jane's vengeful actions, and as much as Toni would have liked to talk it out with him, Steve had other plans.

"We need to talk about this", Steve proclaimed, moving to stand before the assembled team. No one – not even Toni or Loki – were going to argue that. Steve had his commanding face on, and there was no point in trying to escape "I think we should start by sending an apology to Dr. Foster".

And if Steve's unwavering eye contact with Toni was any indication, he meant that she needed to send an apology to Jane. "You mean I should apologize. But I won't. I wasn't in the wrong and I'm not going to apologize for what I did".

Of course, this was probably the very wrong thing to say, but Steve hadn't said a word after the Jane Incident had first occurred, and it pissed Toni off that he was only being all morally uptight about it now. But Steve had already jumped up on his high horse of self-righteousness, and Toni was grouchy enough to be itching for a fight.

"Stark, your actions were overly violent and vicious, and you deliberately provoked Foster into a fight! Had you tried to settle things with her peacefully, this leak might never have happened. Instead, you hit her across the face, insulted her, and-"

"And what? Did I hurt her feelings?", Toni growled. She was leaning forward, ready to get up in Steve's face, but Loki's arms held her in his lap. "She came in here, and I was very willing to give her a chance. But her reactions were outrageous, and so was the way she treated both Loki and I. And you know what? If it was just me she was picking a fight with, then I would have let it go. But when she tried to hurt what is _mine_, I stepped in and gave her shit. And I would do it again with enthusiasm and glee. So no, I'm not going to apologize, and you can go suck on a dick if you think you can make me".

"You will do it! I'm the leader of this team, and I have given you your orders!"

Toni's voice dropped an octave, growing quiet she hissed. "I'm not your dutiful little soldier, Rogers. Don't forget that".

Steve's face screamed of righteous indignation, total outrage, and – most striking to Toni – utter disgust. "Is this how you plan on making Howard proud? He was a good man, and yet here you are – his _daughter_ – and all you do is drink, swear, and lay with anything you can. You're only capable of listening to yourself; the only person who you would date is a former super-villain and a through-and-through _liar_; and the only reason you ever bothered to be a hero is to ease your guilty conscience!"

Everything seemed deathly quiet in the stillness after Steve's outburst.

Most of the team was shocked, eyes all on Toni and waiting for her response. Toni's and Steve's fights happened often – they were always at each other's throats – but this was the first time that Howard Stark was ever brought up. There had almost been an unspoken agreement that he would not be mentioned. But Steve had just changed the game, and not even Natasha was sure how Toni would react. Unpredictable at the best of times, mentions of Howard Stark were enough to drive Toni right over the edge of rationality into desperate measures.

But Toni wasn't reacting at all. Her head was down, face hidden by her bedhead, and she was sitting unmoving and stiff on the edge of Loki's lap. There was tension written in the lines of Toni's body, her muscles straining under the stress of emotion that Toni was fighting down. Loki was especially worried, carefully holding his lover as if she might at any second fall apart and trying to get her attention through whispered pleas.

Toni wouldn't respond, though, until suddenly her muscles went loose, body pliant and soft in Loki's arms. For a moment he thought she had collapsed, but Toni was merely leaning back almost casually. It was then that she finally looked up, face contorted into a brittle and terrifying mockery of a grin.

"I gave up on making the old man proud a long, long time ago, Captain Rogers. It was a lost cause before I was even born".

With that, Toni was standing – Loki let her go – and then she stepped evenly out of the room and away.

Everyone just remained seated. Steve looked horrified, realizing just how badly he had fucked up. Clint, Bruce and Thor all looked worried, and the Thunder god was even about to stand up and follow the fleeing genius, but a look from Natasha stopped him. Loki too wanted to chase after Toni, but he was sure that she would need some time before she was willing to talk. The team sat in heavy and oppressive quiet, silently agreeing to wait out the few hours before the press conference just like that.

* * *

After everything, it was a minor miracle that the press conference went as well as it did. Toni didn't come out of her room until the very last moment, already dressed and styled impeccably. Thor, Loki and Steve were all waiting, and had just been debating on whether or not to fetch her, but they went quiet when she appeared.

Toni looked unapproachable in her slim-cut suit and with a crowd-pleasing smile. But for all that she steered well clear of Steve, Toni didn't flinch when Loki placed a chaste kiss on her cheek, or when Thor gently laid a hand on her shoulder. Unfortunately, she didn't really acknowledge them either.

The silent tension continued all the way down to one of Stark Tower's lower briefing rooms. The reports were already gathered and corralled into their seats, but they all turned to stare and call out as the four walked in. The Avengers – and Loki – all took seats at a narrow table at the front of the room, with Toni between Thor and Loki, and Steve at the end.

They let Toni kick things off. She read through her cards with the usual charm and casual snark, presence commanding enough that she wasn't interrupted by overly demanding reporters. It was pretty much a dramatized retelling of the invasion attempt, but with a bit tacked on about how the Avengers snapped Loki out of this mind control. At first, the press seemed confused and hesitant to buy in, but then Loki was up next, and he sold them all with a performance that deserved an award.

Loki played the sympathetic and repentant victim very well; at one point there might have even been a tear streaking down his cheek. The press was further won over when Thor read his piece, talking about the limitations set on Loki, and how he was working to redeem himself. They had carefully omitted any mention of Loki's lips being sewn shut from the story – some things were too gruesome to be shared – but Thor's blatant guilt when mentioning how harsh Loki's punishment had been was enough.

Steve wrapped things up, talking about the plans in place for Loki's redemption. From there, the press had been informed that no questions would be answered, but as they were all standing to leave, a familiar face stood on her chair and called loudly out.

"What about the claims that you, Toni Stark, are romantically involved with Loki?"

Toni's normal show-grin was replaced with an almost predatory smile, staring down at Christine Everheart with a mock polite facade. "Miss Everheart, I don't believe it is any business of your who I'm involved with, but out of the goodness of my heart, I'll answer".

Dramatic pause, then, "I am indeed currently seeing Loki Lie-smith and I fully intend to keep seeing him".

The press went rather nuts. While everything before had been touching and emotional, this was the real story, just as every other matter of Toni's life tended to be. And for the infamous Toni Stark to finally be settling down was Big News. Toni just merely stood before the crowd – and before Thor, Loki, and Steve – with her normal devil-may-care attitude and hell of a lot of twisted satisfaction. This was an announcement for the world, and a challenge against the opinions of many. Toni had no problem playing it up.

Eventually, SHIELD's agents got the reporters on their way out the door again; Toni didn't stick around any longer. She turned sharply and headed back up to the upper floors, and the three men all followed in silence. Thor and Steve both got off on their own floors, and Loki stepped off with Toni at the penthouse level. But he let Toni walk off alone to the bedroom again, standing in the front room and staring out the window with a sigh.

* * *

**Thanks to everyone who have left a review or made this a favorite story. It means a lot to me that this story has such a lovely following.**

**Next time on Toni Stark's Relationship Adventure: Loki Plays Therapist!**


	7. Loki Plays Therapist

**Wah, okay. This one was a bit tricky to write, but I think it was worth it. We get to hear a lot more about Toni's childhood and background, which should be exciting. Note, I took artistic liberties with some things about the Stark family.**

**Also, TRIGGER WARNING: There are brief mentions of suicide. They are only mentions, but I'm letting everyone know anyway so no one gets upset.**

* * *

Loki was still silently waiting at the penthouse windows. It had been a few hours now since the press conference, but Toni had remained in the bedroom since, and Loki was hesitant to approach her. It had been obvious from the start that any mention of Toni's father struck deep, and it was something she had never brought up on her own. Loki hadn't pressed it before, but it seemed he might have to now.

Especially as JARVIS interrupted his musings.

"Master Loki, if I may intrude?"

Loki looked up to the ceiling – an ingrained habit that Toni often teased him for. "Yes, JARVIS?"

"If you would attend to her, I do believe Miss Stark is in need of some company".

He turned sharply, swiftly walking towards the back of the penthouse suite, Loki frowned. "Has something happened?"

"Nothing too worrisome, sir, but Miss Stark's behavior seems to be taking a turn towards the destructive".

Loki didn't pause, then, when he reached the bedroom. Maintaining some sense of self-control, he did refrain from flinging the door wide, instead opening it quietly then closing it gently behind him.

Toni was sitting on the edge of the bed, an almost full bottle of brandy knocked over and spilling at her feet. Toni hadn't even noticed though, as she was staring blankly at her favorite example of Iron Man art that she had hung smugly up on the wall. Loki didn't miss, however, that the frame of the poster was shattered, and it was covered in alcohol. The pieces of a broken glass on the floor around made it obvious how Toni had thrown a glass of brandy at the piece of art.

But Toni didn't respond as Loki entered, and so – with a sigh – he stepped carefully around the glass and brandy to sit at Toni's side. When she still didn't react, Loki pulled his love into a tight and fierce hug, pressing his face into her messy and bedraggled hair.

It was only then that Toni moved at all, thin arms wrapping around Loki's chest as she held onto him just as tightly. Loki said nothing to this, though he could feel the faint tremors wracking Toni's body. They stayed there together for some long minutes, Loki waiting for Toni to collect herself. But when Toni still said nothing and did nothing, he knew he would have to take the initiative.

"Toni, talk to me".

The head pressed into Loki's chest shook a definite 'no'.

"I want you to talk to me. Tell me why this hurts you so".

Still another head shake. Loki sighed again before pulling away, a hand on Toni's chin forcing her to look up at him. Though Toni wasn't crying, her eyes were still watery, and her face was lined with the pain of old wounds. Loki brushed his fingers soothingly through Toni's messy hair until her eyes slipped closed and she exhaled softly.

"Toni, tell me about your father".

Brown eyes snapped open, anger and pain burning there. Toni tried to shove herself away, but Loki didn't budge. "And why have you suddenly decided to care, Lie-smith?"

That would have stung Loki if not for how obvious an attempt it was at avoiding and deflecting from Toni's own struggles. So Loki didn't react but to stare straight back at Toni, speaking as earnestly as possible. "I have always cared, my love. I cared enough not to push or question until I had to".

Toni was still holding herself back, but the hard edge in her eyes was softening. "And now you have to?"

"Yes", Loki breathed as he pressed a soft kiss to the furrows still lining Toni's brow, then running his thumbs gently over them until they smoothed. He smiled softly down at Toni, who was gazing back with half-lidded eyes and easing suspicion. Loki continued speaking in a soft and even voice. "It is both my obligation and my desire to ease your troubles, dearest. For that, you must first tell me them".

Toni only grunted, not speaking at all. There was a small smile pulling at the corner of her mouth, however, when Loki kissed the tip of her nose. So he did it again and again until she finally reacted, shoving at him with a barely concealed huff of laughter. Loki arched an eyebrow at her, and Toni swatted back at him. "Fine fine, I'll talk".

With that, Toni set about rearranging them for her comfort. She forced Loki to sprawl across the bed, draping herself upon his chest and letting herself be held, though she shifted every few moments. It was fairly obvious that she was only stalling, squirming about as she was, but Loki let her. It was only when Toni tried to suddenly extricate herself from Loki's arms so that she could fetch the brandy that he stopped her. When Toni tried to protest, Loki wasn't buying it, "If you had truly wanted that drink, you would have already had it".

Grumbling something about "pretty boy gods" and "stupid logic", Toni acquiesced, laying properly back down and resting her chin on Loki's chest. She still didn't talk, though, just bringing a hand up to draw random symbols and equations through the thin fabric of Loki's shirt. He let the silence drag out, just watching Toni, until the waiting was too much. But her voice cut softly over whatever Loki was about to say as she finally began to speak.

"My father only ever wanted a son". Toni spoke as if this was a confession of some sort. Maybe it was. Loki only responded by slowly smoothing out Toni's hair, but that was fine. "Not just any son, either. He missed his old buddy Captain America, and that was his pinnacle of perfection. Rogers had set the bar for the good son impossibly high before I was even conceived".

"So, for even farther back than I can recall, I was wrong. I was a girl; I was short and scrawny; I was stubborn too. I did try, though, to live up to his lofty expectations. I tried to prove how smart I was – I tried to emulate my father at every chance. I could recite every one of my father's Captain America stories verbatim, and I was a genius too".

"But Howard Stark wanted a son to continue his legacy, and so being smart just wasn't enough. I ended up disregarding everything that could be even remotely feminine. I wore business suits or jeans and ratty T-shirts. I kept my hair cut short like a boy's, and I never styled it. I never wore make-up or did my nails or gossiped with girlfriends". Toni snorted. "Hell, I never had girlfriends. But it still wasn't enough. I still wasn't a boy – no matter how hard I tried to be – and I still wasn't Steven fucking Rogers".

Toni's breathing had quickened, and she was now fighting to get back control. Loki could feel one of her hands fisted in the fabric of his shirt, and, keeping one hand in her hair, he ran the other up and down her back. She responded to that, her breaths slowing down and evening out. Giving his lover some extra time, Loki asked, "What of your mother? Did she not interfere?"

The sound Toni made in answer was a choked and broken bark of laughter. She attempted to smother it in Loki's chest, and she didn't look back up at him for another long stretch of silence. When she did, her eyes were dry once more, but they narrowed as she spoke, "My mother offed herself when I was eight months old. The only thing she interfered with was my dad's wish for a second try – a do-over baby – a real son".

Loki nearly bit his tongue. He had not intended to make this conversation any more painful, but he had. "Apologies, my love. I did not intend-"

"Oh hush you. There's nothing to apologize for. S'not your fault my childhood sucked. Besides", Toni explained as she nuzzled into his hand, "her death doesn't really bother me. I don't remember her enough to know what I missed, you know?"

A nod came from Loki, though he wasn't sure he did understand. How different he would have been without Frigga's love to balance out Odin's gruff manner and Thor's careless affection was not something he could bear to consider.

"The worst part was when I graduated MIT", Toni murmured, her voice gruff and distressed. "I was only fifteen; I had never gone on a date or been kissed or had a boyfriend, yet I was already graduating with honors. I attended the ceremony, even gave a stunning speech while my father sat in the audience. I saw him clapping when I got my certificate, and I thought that maybe I had finally done it. There was even a reception at the house afterwards, and I felt like I was glowing when everyone congratulated me and it all went so well".

Toni laughed as if ashamed, or mocking her more naïve past-self. "Of course, that didn't last. As soon as the party cleared out, I was left standing with my incredibly drunk and irate father. I wasn't expecting it, when he called me out on all of it, but maybe I should have been. He told- he told me-"

But Toni broke down then, throat closing up tight around whatever she was trying to say. She pressed tightly against Loki's side instead, and he turned to hold her there, humming again. Something about the wordless tune helped, as it had before; Toni's struggled breathing and shivering body soon relaxed. Even so, when Toni's voice returned, Loki almost missed the admission she whispered into his neck.

"He told me, 'I'm glad your mother died before she could see what became of her daughter. She'd never have forgiven herself for the mistake of birthing you'".

Loki froze. That was... That a father – no matter how drunk or stupid or anything – a father should never even think to say that to their child. Especially a child who had worked herself to the bone just for a scrap of approval or affection. It was so similar to how Loki had felt, only so very much worse. Because Loki had Frigga, and, though it wasn't always pleasant, Loki had Thor too. And now, Loki could even admit that Odin hadn't been entirely terrible all the time. His problems stemmed from competing with his brother, the disdain of his peers, the lies of his birth, and possible political maneuvering behind his adoption. But Toni was trying to achieve an ideal that even Thor would fall short of, plus the disdain of both her peers and her only family, the discrimination based upon her gender, and all for no reason but her father's own pain over lost loved ones – something so far out of Toni's control that Howard Stark's treatment of his child was unbelievable. It was almost mind-blowing that Toni had managed to survive it at all.

Belatedly, Loki realized that Toni had resumed talking, and so he began to listen again.

"... I started sleeping with everyone; I took up drinking to ease all my emotions. When the old bastard finally died a few years later, I just let Obie deal with it all – the funeral, the company, everything. I couldn't be bothered to care until I was nearly twenty-three. That was when I met Pepper, and she kicked my ass back into some semblance of shape. She was the first one to get me into a dress, too – trying to make a proper lady out of me, at least for some events. Then we get to all that shit with Obie and Afghanistan and me becoming Iron Man, and eventually we get to the palladium poisoning, but you know about that".

Loki nodded, somewhat stiffly, but Toni was too caught up in memories to notice.

"I probably didn't tell you, though, that when SHIELD caught on about the poisoning, they gave me a box of my father's old notes. That was where I had found the schematics for a new element, but more than that, there was a message from my father. It was on a spool of his old publicity footage. On it, there's a little six-year-old me getting yelled at, then right after, there the old bastard is. He starts talking about how I'm going to be his greatest creation and how he is oh so proud".

Toni looked up to Loki, then, smiling sadly and almost laughing as she said, "Honestly, I still don't know what to make of that. What happened in those nine years that changed how he felt? Or was calling me my mother's greatest disappointment part of forging me into his most impressive creation? I really just don't even know what to think anymore. I can't even just hate him anymore because I DON'T UNDERSTAND!"

She had practically screamed that last part, sitting up and yelling at the ceiling. But then Toni collapsed back down, and Loki had recovered his thoughts enough to catch her. He cradled her body and held her and began rocking her there in bed, doing anything he could just to calm her heavy breathing and shuddering body.

It lasted quite some time; nearly twenty minutes of desperate clinging and vague, soothing noises before Toni was breathing normal again. Still, Loki didn't let up, though that was just as much for his benefit as hers. Toni had her head buried into the crook of Loki's neck, her arms and legs wrapped tightly around his chest; she didn't seem to want to be moved, either. As loathe as Loki was to disturb that peace, he needed to speak, to reassure his Toni, but he didn't know what to say.

So, a shot in the dark. "I'm proud of you. I love you and I am so proud of you and I don't want anything different".

Toni's grip tightened for a moment, and she trembled for a moment, but then she was laughing. It was a bit hysterical and extremely relieved, but it was happy too. That someone would say that to her – say it and really mean it – was novel. It didn't change the past, of course, and it would never fix the damage that Howard Stark had done, but it was something that Toni didn't have before – not only acceptance, but approval of who she was to the very core. It was no longer just 'good work on that design, Toni' or 'nice job, Iron Man', but someone that she loved telling her that everything that made her Toni Stark – the flaws, the imperfections, the genius and the obsessions – all of those things were worth something, and that they were valued.

So Toni laughed into pale skin as Loki cradled her close, and it was nice.

* * *

**Thanks again for everyone's reviews guys! I like hearing what people think; it makes me giggly-silly.**

**To Sleiwd: I promise more fluff in the future! Just a few more chapters of Serious Business, and then the fun stuff comes back.**

**Also, that reminds me: I'm letting that everyone know that if you want, you can drop me prompts or ideas or requests for things you want to see. I only have a few more chapters pre-planned for this story before I switch to the next in the series, but I would be very happy to fill some requests or whatnot. You can leave them in reviews on here, or drop asks to my tumblr at ask**

**I can't promise to fill everything, and I will let you know now that any requests for the reveal of Jotun!Loki and Toni's reaction won't be filled (I have plans for that in the future, haha), so don't think I'm ignoring you if that is what you want. I'll do my best, though, and if there is something I won't fill for whatever reasons, I'll make sure to note that here so no one feels slighted.**

**And, next time on Toni Stark's Relationship Adventure: Loki vs. Steve  
**- _Loki and Steve have a 'little chat' about Steve's feelings/intentions towards Toni._


	8. Loki versus Steve: Face-Off

**Hope everyone is ready for Steve to get his ass handed to him!**

**My apologies for the wait on this chapter. I find that Steve is a pain to write - even worse than Loki - plus I was trying to show his side of things while staying in character, so hopefully he comes off a little less of an ass than he has previously been.**

* * *

The day after the fallout and press conference started off easily enough. Loki and Toni had spent the entire night in exhausted cuddles, but they had gotten almost no sleep because of how wrecked Toni was. She had eventually slipped under at very early in the morning, when the sun was about to rise. Loki just watched her for a while, not sleeping at all himself.

But after a few hours more, Loki extracted himself from Toni's arms and the tangled sheets. As emotionally drained as she was, Toni would probably sleep for a few hours more on her own, and while that was happening, Loki had business to deal with.

Once out in the hallway with the door safely shut behind him, Loki asked JARVIS about Steve. "JARVIS, could you please tell me where the Captain is?"

But it wasn't the AI who answered. "Steven is down in the gym, working through his aggression".

Loki turned to the side, where Thor was leaning against the wall, watching the Trickster with a scrutiny that he rarely displayed. Just nodding in thanks, Loki made to walk off towards the elevator, but Thor caught his arm first. "How is she, Loki?"

"She's sleeping", Loki replied, but he knew that wasn't quite what Thor wanted to know. When Thor kept a tight grip on his arm, Loki continued with a sigh. "We talked for quite some time last night, and I think she's feeling better. But nothing I say is going to fix any of this".

"But you are helping her, which is more than any of the rest of us could really ever do", Thor pointed out, moving his hand from Loki's arm to clasp his neck. "Toni trusts you with that".

Loki nodded, voice quiet, "I know. I just wish to do more for her".

"Good". Thor smiled, pulling Loki into a hug. Without releasing his brother, Thor quipped. "Now go tear the Captain a new one".

"You don't even know what that means", Loki mumbled into Thor's chest, where his face was squished. When Thor finally release him, though, Loki was smiling fondly. "But I will".

As Thor nodded his understanding, Loki turned to walk away, but he hesitated. Speaking quietly over his shoulder, he didn't quite meet Thor's gaze. "When Toni wakes up, please... just stay with her".

"Of course. I'll keep her busy until you're finished".

"If you let her do something stupid, Thor-", Loki growled as he turned back to glare sharply at the blonde, but he was cut off with a fond chuckle.

"If I let her do anything reckless, Loki, I will give you my head myself. Then you may feed me to bilgesnipe or giant worms or whatever else you wish". Thor waved Loki on, sitting back down in the hallway so that he was present when Toni awoke. Satisfied, Loki finally walked away, instructing JARVIS to take the elevator down to the gym level.

* * *

Steve was frustrated. He was angry; he was upset; he was a mess of emotions, and for all that he was extremely compassionate, untangling the threads of his own turmoil had never been something he had excelled at. Really, the only thing that had helped him keep sane was to lose himself in the rhythm of physical exercise. So he had started off running, feet pounding on the treadmill in a drone that lulled his thoughts. But it didn't last, as he recalled Toni sometimes would join him in running – it was a peace offering on her part to join in team training – and then there was guilt and knotted emotions again.

There was guilt because he knew what he had said was wrong, because he knew he had struck out viciously over something that was not only minor, but that he had already known. Toni had made it clear from the beginning that outside of a fight, she wasn't going to be ordered around, and Steve thought he could respect that. Apparently he didn't know himself half as well as he thought he did, or this would never have happened. And it wasn't as if he was all that mad about what had happened with Jane. Yes, Toni had handled it poorly, but she had definitely been provoked into what she had done.

But there was more to his actions than just disapproval, he just wasn't entirely sure what. He had never been good with women before, but society used to have very definite rules about how to treat a lady, and Steve had always done his utmost to treat them with the same respect he showed to everyone. That had worked most of the time, and even now it went a long way in doing right. But with Toni – well, she was like nothing he could ever even comprehend. She was too reckless and crazy and blunt and brilliant – much like what Steve remembered of Howard – to ever be labelled as a 'lady', but she seemed to enjoy that. Yet, there were times when Toni was undeniably female, and she wasn't afraid to flaunt herself just to make other people uncomfortable.

Sighing, Steve gave up on trying to understand. He stepped down from the treadmill and headed over to the punching bags, taping his hands as he did. He lined up the bags on the ground before hooking one up and getting started. Yes, he still used classic bags; Toni had offered to create something a bit less breakable for him after an argument, but he liked what he had – modern technology hadn't changed this yet.

"If I might have a word, Captain?"

Loki's posh voice cut through the steady rhythm that had been established. Steve stilled, catching the bag with a hand and scowling, though he didn't turn to actually scowl at Loki, who was the main focus of his frustration. But it wouldn't help anything to snap churlishly at the god, especially after the argument with Toni just the morning before, so Steve returned to beating his anger out with his punching bag, calling out loudly over the dull thuds of his fists meeting synthetic fabric.

"What do you want, Loki?" Steve failed to keep the exasperation and disgust out of his voice, but he wasn't really trying, either. When Loki's reply wasn't immediately forthcoming, Steve just chose to ignore it, shrugging away the silence as Loki's special way of being aggravating. However, when the soldier pulled his arm back for what would have been a nasty cross, he instead met resistance as a cold hand clasped tightly around his wrist. And for all Steve's strength, there was no give or way of breaking that grip; he was reminded that while Loki might not have his magic, he was still a god, and Steve couldn't compete.

"Oh, I want many things, but let us start with a conversation and work our way from there".

Steve, with no other option, turned to look at Loki, who was sneering back in a way that left the soldier's blood icing over. He wasn't going to back down, though, not when he had already been pushed to the edge of his patience, and not when it was the Tower's resident super villain – reformed or not – who was trying to threaten him.

"Say your piece then leave. I don't want to mince words with you", Steve warned, trying to pull back his arm. Loki still didn't let up, though, so Steve was pretty well stuck.

"I will leave when I well and truly please, Captain Rogers", Loki mocked, voice low and sharp. "But no worries – for all that I am known for my silver-tongue, I am in no mood to be anything but blunt".

Steve stayed quiet, but Loki needed no prompting to continue.

"You have always been disapproving of me, and of my relationship with Toni, but your actions yesterday were beyond reprehensible". The grip on Steve's wrist tightened painfully, stopping just short of breaking before he was released entirely. "In fact, were it not for your position on this team - and the threat of Toni's disappointment – this would be a slaughter, not a discussion".

Loki stepped back, now, moving to stand at a relatively safe and socially acceptable distance. Steve turned himself to face Loki entirely, arms crossed at his chest as he fought back the urge to rub his wrist, which was still smarting. He refused to give the god that satisfaction, though. "I regret what I said to Toni yesterday, but I already know I was way out of line. I don't need you to try to play my conscience".

"I'm not here to counsel you, Captain", Loki jeered. "I'm here to tell you that should you ever feel compelled to treat Toni that way again – should you ever think to hurt her or use Howard Stark against her – then I will come, and I will cause you more pain than could ever be conceived by your limited mental prowess. And on top of that all, I will give you immortality, so you might forever know the pain of my wrath and the loss of all you know, over and over until Ragnarok brings the universe down around your feet. Only then will I even consider giving you the relief of death".

He was pale, he knew. Steve could feel that the blood fled from his face, and there was a faint tremor in his hands, but he pushed that all aside to stare down Loki. He refused to be cowed by the man in front of him; he refused to back down or let Loki dictate his behavior and actions. So he snapped back, "What happens between Toni and I is not up for your approval, Loki. In fact, it's none of your business".

Loki's face contorted into a snarl, a growl low in his throat that was more terrifying than the bruises forming on Steve's wrist. "You are so very wrong there, Captain Rogers. It is my business. It became my business when I spent an entire night comforting her. It was my business when I listened to her recount a childhood that makes mine look pleasurable! And it was very much my business," Loki spat, voice sharply rising in pitch and volume, "when I could only sit there and watch as she shook herself apart because of what both you and Howard Stark have done to her! That makes it my business, you scum-spewing coward!"

Chest heaving, Loki let the echoes of his screams hang in the heavy air. After that explosion of rage, though, the silence was enough to crack Steve's resolve. Because Loki did make a fair point, after all. It was the god who had really seen how bad off Toni had been, and it was the god who had done his best to help her through that all. And on some level, Steve recognized that Loki striking at him meant that the god cared enough to be protective of Toni. So ignoring how not-so-irrationally angry Loki looked, Steve sighed, moving to sit on one of the benches lining the walls. He waved Loki over to join him, voice quiet, "You're right. Let's talk".

Steve kept his head down as he sat, and he stayed silent too. There was no point in provoking Loki – Steve might be stubborn at times, but he didn't want to die – and so he respectfully looked away from the god, giving him as much time as he needed to collect himself. It was only when Loki's quiet footsteps stopped next to Steve that the soldier looked up, and he was met with Loki's familiar smirk now carefully in place – the one that was condescending and cold as the ninth circle of hell.

"Thank you dearly for your cooperation", Loki mocked, having apparently decided to stand in front of Steve rather than sit. Steve wanted to roll his eyes at the obvious play at superiority, but he was already on fragile ground. "Now, I am going to ask you questions. You are going to answer promptly and truthfully, and this will have a peaceful ending".

The soldier just nodded in understanding.

"Good," Loki replied, only pausing for a moment before going on. "Firstly then: What are your feelings for Toni?"

"I don't have-" Steve started with a frown, but then he stuttered to a halt. Weren't his feelings towards the woman what he had been trying to sort out before? Maybe – as unappealing as opening up to Loki might be – maybe talking this out would help him sort out his thoughts. So Steve took a deep breath and powered through his own hesitation. "Honestly, I don't really know".

Loki didn't look satisfied at all by that answer, an eyebrow rising dangerously high on his forehead. Not risking anything, Steve decided to keep talking until Loki's eyebrow reached safe levels again.

"I don't know how I feel because I don't know what to make of her at all. Yeah, she's ridiculously intelligent and disarmingly offensive like Howard, and at times, she's absolutely terrifying like Peggy could be. And Toni's loyalty and fierceness in protecting the people she likes would impress even Bucky. But that's not enough, and I don't know how to handle that".

"Your first mistake, Captain", Loki interrupted with a scoff, "is believing that any of your experiences could ever prepare you for her. Toni Stark is definitely a genius; she is commanding, beautiful, and protective to a dangerous extreme. But she is also more than that, and it is an insult to her that you would ever even think to compare the people you have known to her. They might be wonderful people – the best of the best, as some might say – but they will never be Toni Stark. They will never even come close".

Steve snorted, somewhat amused but in perfect agreement. "That is the most accurate description of Toni I have ever heard".

"What is?" Loki asked, sounding almost companionable in his curiosity.

"That she is Toni; that she is a thousand and one different things, but still she's more than the sum of them all. She's just entirely more", Steve answered, hands uselessly waving as he tried to express what he couldn't do with words.

Loki's responding chuckle surprised Steve, who snapped his attention back to the god. But when Loki caught him looking, the pleasant demeanor snapped back into something more aggressive.

"You are entirely correct in that, Captain, but the question still remains: What are your feelings for Toni?"

"I think-", Steve responded with no little hesitation. "I think I'm in love with her, in a way".

At that, Steve was pretty sure Loki stopped breathing. It looked like every single inch of his body went tense, falling under the god's impeccable control to the point where absolutely nothing could show through. It was more than a little scary, especially as that control bled into Loki's voice too. "And what do you plan on doing about that?"

"Absolutely nothing", was Steve's very sincere answer. In an attempt to defuse the suffocating hostility between the two men, Steve kept going. "It would be just wrong of me to do anything, not only because she is already with you, but because I don't care for her like you do – like she deserves. I love Toni because she is the daughter of a good friend, because she is my friend, because she is a teammate that I have absolute trust in, and because she is a woman more than worthy of my respect and admiration, but there is nothing romantic about that. But I don't love everything about her – heck, I hardly even approve of most of her behavior. And on top of it all, I could never keep up with her mind". Steve chuckled a bit, not really because anything was humorous, but because it made his words seem less heavy and powerful. "I would constantly be expecting better of her, and she would hate me for it every step of the way. Not exactly a good basis for a relationship".

Loki didn't answer for several long moments, but then he was sitting next to Steve, some of the tension bleeding out of the air and his body. "You are a good man, Steven Rogers".

Steve shrugged. "Which is why nothing would ever happen. Toni doesn't want or need a 'good man'. A good man could never understand her, and she could never understand him either".

A stiff nod from Loki, and then the silence was back, though it wasn't nearly as oppressive. Both men just let it be, staring blankly straight ahead. Steve was left wondering if maybe he could get Loki to reveal some of what he had learned from Toni the night before, but he didn't think it likely. He wasn't left to his thoughts for very long though.

"Do you think a villain is what she deserves?" There was something vulnerable in Loki's voice as he asked, but Steve ignored it, knowing that if he tried to exploit that weakness – not that he would – it would end badly for him.

"I think that only Toni can really know the answer to what she wants or needs. And I think that if Toni says she needs you, then she means it". Steve stood, then, trying to ease the stress out of his overworked muscles by stretching. "Look, all of us here have gone through some kind of significant change, so for all that I've treated you poorly, I'm sorry. I don't really think of you as a villain, after all, so I'm trying to stop acting like you're the enemy. Besides", Steve said with a smile, "if you make Toni happy, I have no right to judge. She deserves that, I think".

Loki only nodded warily, as if waiting for some blow, but Steve just turned to walk away, heading towards the punching bags he had left out. As he started to clean up, he could hear Loki shuffle around a bit, moving off the bench but not approaching Steve at all. But before Loki walked out the door, he turned his attention back to Steve.

"Captain", Loki called, waiting until Steve looked up before speaking again. "I will not break Toni's confidence by telling you the details of last night... but I will say that – if I assume correctly - your friend Howard Stark was always more dedicated to science than to anything else". Steve nodded in agreement, because for all that Howard was a good friend, his first love was definitely science. Loki continued, "Then just know that didn't change with Toni's birth".

With that, Loki exited the gym, and left Steve to his thoughts. It made sense now, why Toni reacted so poorly to any mention of Howard, but at the same time, it was difficult. Some part of Steve felt disloyal for thinking poorly of a dead friend, but he didn't want to push Toni further away than he already had. And if he really thought about it, Steve could see how Howard would have behaved as a father. He would have been distant, cold, dissatisfied, and all that made Steve ache in a way he couldn't really identify. He had only wanted the best for Howard, but the scientist would never have been a good family man – for all that Steve thought he was a good friend.

But no matter what, Steve realized he owed Toni a very serious apology, and he intended to do so as soon as possible. It was the very least he could do.

* * *

**Again, thanks to everyone who reviews, favorites, and follows this story and series! I love you all dearly!**

**Next time on Toni Stark's Relationship Adventure:**

_"Damn, that's Loki?"_

_"Yep"._

_"Shit, I would climb that like a tree"._

_"For all that I appreciate your good taste, Miss Lewis, I have a strict hands-off policy when it comes to my stuff"._


	9. Toni Makes a New Friend

**Sorry for the wait again, lovelies. I hate leaving everyone hanging, but life just doesn't cooperate with me a lot. If anyone is particularly upset at all, I give you permission to punch my life in the face. Go for it.**

**But now I bring you Darcy!**

**To Paisley15: When I was writing Steve's lines, I was really hesitant to put the l-word, because it's a scary word, but I'm glad that his explanation was good enough. I didn't want people to start thinking there was going to be a love triangle showing up, because there won't be. I hate love triangles too much for that.**

**To NoVacancyMind: I always forget that when people read these stories, they don't get all the little things that are just in my head. I never meant for Loki to seem soft - because he's not at all - but he only ever really shows up when Toni's around, and he's always so relaxed around her that it's easy to forget how much of a badass he can be, especially when pissed off. And yes, I agree that Darcy and Loki totally stole that spotlight in the Thor movie :D**

**To Sleiwd: Thanks! I'm glad it wasn't too confusing or one-sided!**

* * *

When Toni woke up, it was to an empty bed. It took her a moment to realize why that wasn't right – because Loki had been there when she went to bed – and it took another even longer moment to realize that it was damn near one in the afternoon, and Loki wasn't half as lazy as Toni was. He wouldn't have slept in this long. Which left an exhausted Toni alone and trying to untangle the knot of sheets that had trapped her legs.

Toni finally managed to escape the confines of her sheets, and then she stumbled blearily to the bathroom, following her normal morning ritual for the nights she actually made it to bed. There was a short shower, a half-hearted attempt at fixing her hair, and then giving up until she had some coffee in her. The Thunder God sitting right outside her door was new though, but Toni failed to notice until she was sprawled in his lap, trying to figure out how she had gotten to floor level.

Thor startled underneath her, but then he began laughing and Toni just couldn't figure out what was so funny, especially since her legs were not cooperating at all and she couldn't get up. Defeated by her own body, Toni gave up on movement, staying splayed across a laughing Thor, which was kind of like riding one of those kiddie rides at the super-market – the ones that were brightly colored and you stuck in a quarter and they rocked back and forth and up and down and it was the greatest shit ever. Or Toni assumed it was the greatest shit ever, based upon her observations of small children screaming at their parents for a fucking quarter.

Yeah, laying bonelessly across a laughing Thor was kind of like one of those rides, but squishier.

Eventually Thor stopped laughing, and when he realized that Toni wasn't going to help herself, he picked her up bridal style and carried her into the kitchen. Normally one to protest being treated like a feeble woman – or more accurately, an overgrown child – Toni was starting to see the benefits of having her own team of Norse gods to just carry her around.

There was no conversation between the two, as everyone was familiar with pre-coffee Toni, who was incapable of coherent speech, and who they normally found just lying around in weird places until someone took pity on her and made coffee. It used to be just Bruce who would do it, but when they found a pre-coffee Toni in her half-assembled armor with feet dangling out a window – all because Bruce had gone out earlier and hadn't come back in time to wake her properly – it became a team wide effort. So Thor sat Toni up on the counter – yep, definitely an overgrown child – and she waited semi-patiently for the blonde to start up the coffee maker – her coffee maker set to make the perfect coffee – and then hand her a cup. If it hadn't been scalding hot, she would have chugged it, but as it was practically still boiling, she made a valiant attempt anyway and succeeding only in burning her mouth.

"Pancakes?" Thor asked, and Toni looked up to possibly the most domestically adorable thing that had ever happened in her kitchen. There was the God of Thunder with his hair tied back in a little bun holding a pan and a spatula and wearing a Thor-tilla apron – thank Clint for that one – over top his cuddly penguin pajama bottoms and a Stark Industries t-shirt. Toni was pretty sure even a unicorn was spraying glitter out it's ass as it danced across a rainbow bridge behind him couldn't have made this any more cute.

But Toni wanted pancakes, so she nodded, and when Thor turned to the stove, she discreetly signaled at one of JARVIS's cameras to let the AI know she wanted a recording of this saved somewhere. And, holy hell, Thor was humming as he cooked – like things couldn't have gotten any more strange. Then her mind wandered, curious about what it would take to get Loki into a similar situation. Probably tears. Maybe next time she had an emotional breakdown she could make this happen, and then she would have two domesticated Norsemen in her kitchen cooking pancakes and doting upon her.

It was worth investigating, if only for the video evidence that could prove to be great blackmail material. And just because it would be fucking cute.

Soon there was a Thor-sized plate of pancakes in front of Toni, which she picked at as she downed her second and third cups of coffee. At some point, Bruce had come in, looking like he had just stumbled out of the lab, so she pushed her pancakes towards him, and they shared in silence while Thor just kept cooking until there was a second heaping plate of pancakes, which he heartily dug into. Natasha and Clint also wandered in at some point, helping themselves to Toni and Bruce's pile of pancakes – that they had barely dented.

It didn't take long for Toni to realize that the only people missing were Loki and Steve and that she should probably be worried about that. So swallowing down her mouthful of syrupy goodness, she asked, "Thor, where's Loki?"

Thor paused, quickly glancing at everyone else in the room before meeting Toni's eyes again, and then he spoke. "My brother expressed his wishes to speak with the Captain today".

"Should I be worried about that?"

"I'm sure JARVIS would let you know if anything bad happened, Toni", Bruce answered instead. Toni had a feeling that this was all pre-planned, and that today was going to be 'let Steve know how bad he fucked up' day. But Bruce successfully pulled her out of her thoughts. "Besides, you're just in time for a movie marathon with us".

Toni nodded, hopping down off the counter and taking her coffee and the pancakes into the living room. Everyone followed, and they decided to start with Clint's pick of 'The Princess Bride', which was a team favorite. It was fun, watching funny movies and snacking on godly pancakes together. Toni thought they should do this more often.

* * *

It wasn't long after the movie finished that someone's phone began to go off rather obnoxiously – was that Ke$ha? Oh gods, it was – but when Thor quickly began to fumble with his Avengers-issued Stark phone, Toni snickered.

"Good thing that didn't go off during the movie, bud, or we would have had to put you in time out", she teased. Thor – though he was obviously confused – knew better than to ask or comment, instead silencing his phone and checking what appeared to be a text message. He started to type a reply in return, but Toni had to look away; it was painful to watch the god laboriously poke at the keyboard with his thick, sausage fingers. At least he wasn't as bad as Steve – who had thrown his phone across the room the first time it had vibrated.

Then Thor stood, and he smiled almost nervously at Toni. "Friend, will you come with me, please? There is someone I would like you to meet".

Toni hesitated for a moment, and with good reason – the last person Thor had introduced her to had been Jane, and look where that had landed everyone. But she also knew that Thor still felt guilty over that whole fiasco, and that he would be tenfold more cautious about guests. So she stood, smiling brightly and stepping forward to pat Thor's arm. "Get a new girl, buddy? I'd love to meet her".

Thor's cheeks reddened slightly, but he laughed at the friendly ribbing. "She is no lover of mine, Toni. Just a friend".

With that, Thor began walking to the elevator, and Toni followed as she cocked an eyebrow, drawling sarcastically, "Sure thing, Prince Valiant".

The ride down the elevator was relatively short, but entirely filled with Toni shooting suspicious and suggestive glances to Thor, who dutifully ignored them. That didn't discourage her any, only making her more impatient to meet this 'friend' of Thor's who was waiting. Toni started to rock back and forth on her heels, fidgeting incessantly, but Thor just kept silent, staring straight ahead until the doors opened and he stepped swiftly out.

Toni again followed, but she hadn't taken more than a few steps before something rather small and bouncy launched itself at Thor. Laughing, Thor caught the thing – it was a girl, Toni noticed, a _young _girl – and hugged her. His laughter quickly turned from excited to embarrassed, however, when the girl's hands slipped dangerously low to tightly squeeze Thor's finely sculpted ass – and it's perfectly okay that she thinks that, even if he _is_ Loki's brother, because it's not like she's tried to touch; at least not since she and Loki hooked up.

But the ass-grabbing girl pulled back from Thor with a wink as the god blushed bright red, then turned to Toni, holding out a hand with a never-ending smirk. "I'm Darcy Lewis. I taze gods".

Toni looked her over quickly. This girl was young, probably college-aged, with long brown hair and a pretty laid-back outfit that looked just as comfy as it was stylish. This Darcy was also about Toni's height, but much curvier, actually having discernible breasts and hips were Toni just looked like an adolescent boy. But for all that she looked the normal college kid, her smile and her introduction made her _interesting_. Unable to help herself, Toni shook the girl's hand and replied haughtily, "I'm Toni Stark. I fuck them".

"Only one, I hear", Darcy shot back.

"Yes, but by far the hottest one".

"I can't argue with that", Darcy admitted with a shrug, not looking particularly defeated. "But I've only seen him on television, so I'm not convinced yet".

Toni paused for a moment, thinking, then asked, "So you're not Thor's new 'lady-friend' then?"

If possible, Thor got redder even as he sighed, but Darcy laughed, "Not for lack of trying. But I really only want some of that godly ass for bragging rights, and Princey over here wants something a bit more permanent than that".

"And he treats you like a little sister too", Toni guessed. Darcy nodded.

"Not that incest has ever stopped the gods before", she commented off-handedly, but they were both watching Thor's face carefully out of the corners of their eyes. "I mean, pretty much every pantheon has someone who likes to fuck their sister".

"Or brother", Toni added, and both women about lost all composure as Thor looked utterly horrified, face twisted with disgust, embarrassment, and complete terror. Not able to resist, Toni pulled herself together long enough to speak, "Hey Thor, have you and Loki ever...?" She let the sentence hang there, making vague hand-gestures to indicate sex.

The horror on Thor's face intensified – he looked grossed out to the extreme – but he managed to spit out, "No!"

Darcy got back in the game, then, "But would you be open to it? As a threesome or something?"

"Or like a voyeurism set up, you know? Like a live showing of some incestuous Norsemen porn or something", Toni added. They watched in amusement as Thor turned to flee the scene, hunched in on himself as if that would somehow delete the sickening images that Darcy and Toni had planted in his head.

"Come on, it's not like you're even related!" Darcy called out at the blonde's retreating back, but they got no more from Thor except a strangled groan as the elevator doors finally closed behind him. With the god out of sight, the both nearly collapsed on each other in fits of laughter, which lasted for several minutes before they managed to straighten themselves and get it together.

"Let's take this somewhere more private, Miss Lewis". Offering her arm to the other woman, Toni smirked, "If I may?"

"Of course, Miss Stark", Darcy smirked back, slipping her arm through Toni's with mocking condescension, and then they both sauntered into the private elevator and headed up to the top floors.

* * *

Upon reaching the common room of Toni's penthouse, Darcy immediately hopped onto one of the couches. The team had cleared out after Toni and Thor had left – confirming that the movie was for Toni's benefit – and Thor had disappeared to find some brain bleach, so the two women were alone when Toni brought over two bottle of Jones Soda – the Root Beer was for Darcy because it was a safe flavor, while Toni happily opened up her Invisible flavored drink.

Neither one was good at silence, though, so it was a relief when Darcy started talking after a quick sip from her drink.

"So I know you're curious about why Thor is having up meet now, and it's not just because we are awesome together", Darcy said with a sigh, fiddling with her drink. "I'm Jane's intern".

Toni nodded, having already guessed that there was some connection between Darcy and Jane; after all, Thor never went out socializing alone, so if he met someone new, the whole team would have known by now. But still – Jane's intern?

"Really? I never pegged you for an astrophysicist", Toni commented.

"I'm not", Darcy snorted. "Poly-Sci major".

"That makes more sense", Toni said with an eye roll.

"I need the extra credits", Darcy answered, shrugging. "And I was the only applicant".

Toni didn't comment on that, just grunting as she took another drink. Darcy didn't seem to care about that, deciding to continue.

"So I'm her intern, and I convinced Thor to invite me here because I wanted to say sorry".

Blinking once, Toni didn't know what to say at first. She had never expected to get an apology for the media mess – which was only yesterday, holy fuck – and so to be offered one, even if not from the cause herself, was shocking. She was just left sort of staring at Darcy over her soda bottle for several moments before she finally realized that she should say something. "I- Thanks".

But then, because she's Toni, she can't help but ask, "Why?"

"Look, Jane's really not a bad person, but we all watched Thor damn near die in New Mexico when he first showed up, and then there's Selvig, who is like Jane's second father and was all caught up in the New York invasion, so she's pretty much been set against your god from the start", Darcy supplied. "I'm not the same, though. I know that there was way more going on both then and now that I don't understand And I know that Thor has forgiven Loki, which is saying a lot, because Thor isn't as stupid as he lets everyone believe. He's naïve, yes, but even Jane underestimated how level-headed Mr. Thunder could be. So if Thor believes that his little brother is forgivable, who am I to disagree? Plus, Loki's living with you all now, and nothing says 'I'm not really that evil' like living with the superheros that kicked your ass".

Nodding, Toni took another drink. "So you don't think Loki's all that bad and you decided to apologize on behalf of your professor".

"Yep", Darcy stated simply. "Besides, Jane's been pretty unsufferable since she and Thor split. I've heard from Selvig that she's always been quick to jump into love – or what she thinks is love – and when Thor dumped her, she started in on this whole rant about how Loki's newest plan to ruin things was by wrecking her chances with Thor. Which is really just ridiculous; like Loki could care that much about Jane".

"Ah, this was a way to escape too", Toni pointed out.

"Fucking definitely", Darcy whole-heartedly agreed. "If I have to listen to any more 'Woe is me - I'm the victim - Everyone hates me' story, I'm going to dip my head in boiling wax".

Snorting, Toni kicked her feet up onto the coffee table in front of her. "Well, since you were so good as to come apologize, I could at least provide you with a place to stay".

"Ooo, do I get to bunk over with Thor?"

"If you can talk your way into his room, I'm not going to stop you, but otherwise you can stay in the guest room on his floor".

"Sounds fun. I think I'm up for that challenge".

Toni laughed, and Darcy joined in. "You know, I like you, Miss Lewis".

"You're not so bad yourself. For an older woman, at least".

Before any Toni could come up with a significantly sassy reply, however, the elevator dinged and Loki stepped out. He seemed out of it – not particularly upset or angry, just lost in his own head – and as such, he didn't notice the two women sitting on the couch, moving straight into the kitchen. There was some clinking of glasses and the sound of boiling water, so Toni assumed he was making tea. Toni thought maybe she should check up on him.

Darcy spoke before Toni moved, though, "Damn, that's Loki?"

"Yep", Toni turned back to her new girlfriend with a grin. "That's Loki".

"He looks even better than he does on TV!"

"Oh, definitely", the genius laughed. "Everybody looks better in person".

"But wait, Thor had said that he got his lips sewn shut or something. Is that true?"

"Yeah", Toni replied with a darkening expression, "That's Asgardian justice for you".

"It must have been great for you when they came out. I couldn't imagine having to wait at all to get that in my bed".

There was silence from Toni, and Darcy eyed her suspiciously.

"Unless you didn't wait..." Darcy pushed, but still nothing from Toni, and so she made a grossed out face. "Wasn't that a problem? Like, no kissing or anything?"

"Honestly", Toni admitted, "I didn't even miss it. I mean, don't get me wrong, he's called Silvertongue for a lot of reasons, but the rest of him is still enough to blow away any other contenders".

"Yes", Darcy muttered into her soda. "Perfect fantasy fodder. I mean seriously, I would climb that like a tree".

Toni cocked an eyebrow, staring half-seriously at Darcy. "For all that I appreciate your good taste, Miss Lewis, I have a strict hands-off policy when it comes to my stuff".

Raising her hands up in surrender, Darcy backtracked. "Woah, woah. No worries, I don't chase other people's men. I just like to look".

Relaxing back into her earlier nonchalance, Toni laughed, "Good, because I would hate to see something happen to you".

Darcy pretended to swoon in terror, voice high-pitched as she squeaked out an, "Oh no!"

Both women broke down into a giggling fit, Darcy bent forward as she clutched her drink, and Toni with her head thrown back and laughing loudly. Loki walked back in unnoticed, holding his tea and staring incredulously at the ridiculous view. But he couldn't help the small quirk of his lips towards a smile, stepping up behind Toni's spot on the couch before leaning over her and planting a quick kiss on her open mouth. Sputtering and flailing, Toni shot upright, narrowly missing cracking her head against Loki's jaw.

Smirking, Loki moved around the edge of the couch to sit at Toni's side. Darcy was laughing even harder now, and Toni was sniggering too, but she swatted at Loki's arm when he sat down, which he ignored. So Toni whacked him again, making his tea slosh around a bit and earning her an annoyed glare. Toni smiled victoriously, and Loki sighed.

"If you are quite finished, love, would you care to introduce me to your friend?" Loki asked.

Darcy straightened up with a wicked grin, and Toni waved in her direction. "This is Darcy. She's the one that tazed Thor on his first Earth vacation".

Loki chuckled, taking the hand that Darcy offered and kissing it. "A pleasure, Miss Darcy".

Toni sighed, put out by Loki pulling out his most charming behavior, but she didn't get to scold him as Thor walked into the room. He took one look at the assembled company, then tried to turn and leave, but Toni called out, "Come join us, Thor".

The blonde tried to stutter out an excuse, but Darcy interrupted, "I thought we were buds, dude. Come on".

Still Thor looked to be on the verge of fleeing, so Toni elbowed Loki, who added, "Your presence would be much appreciated, Thor".

Darcy and Toni smirked mischievously at each other, and both subtly moved stretched out so that the only open seat was next to Loki, where Thor sat stiffly and unhappily. Loki watched all this with vague amusement, not knowing what was going on, but happy to enjoy Thor's discomfort.

"So, back to our earlier conversation", Darcy started, "would you ever consider something like that?"

Loki looked curious, glancing back and forth between the women and Thor, who was making grossed out faces and looking like he wanted to run away again. He wasn't sure what was going on, but he was more than willing to play along when Toni nudged him and gave him a meaningful glance. So he set down his tea, and when Thor started to fidget as if he was going to flee, Loki clasped a hand firmly on his knee. Unexpectedly – at least from Loki's perspective – that freaked Thor out even more, and he went tense and stiff under Loki's hand. In a horribly misguided attempt to comfort the blonde, Loki squeezed his knee and smiled kindly, "Now now, Thor, no need to be so unsettled. Do you need help to relax?"

It didn't work, and Thor fled the room immediately to Toni and Darcy howling with laughter as Loki watched. He belatedly realized that he had been used as a tool to prank Thor, and it was a bit annoying.

"Would either of you care to share what you have tricked me into doing to Thor?" he questioned tersely, not happy when an answer wasn't immediately forthcoming. It was only when they finally calmed down that Toni bothered to explain.

"We had been teasing Thor earlier about you and him sleeping together".

"Oh man, and you were perfect!", Darcy cut in, still trying to control her hysterics. "He was so freaked!"

"Hell, if I knew asking Thor to be in a threesome with us would make his face turn that red, I would have done it forever ago", Toni chuckled, laying back on the couch while Loki looked on. He wasn't quite as bothered as Thor, just more annoyed to have played right into their prank.

"I can assure you that one of the last faces I ever wish to see in our bed would be Thor's", Loki bit out, pushing Toni's feet off his lap so he could stand. "Now if you two will excuse me, I need to go reassure my brother that I have no designs to end up in his bed".

With that, Loki stalked away, but that didn't stop Darcy or Toni from finding this whole thing hilarious. They spent a few more hours talking; swapping stories of Avenger life versus Darcy's New Mexico Adventures, passing judgements on the celebrities that Toni had met, and discussing future prank ideas. Darcy was left with an open invitation to stay as long as she wanted, and Toni personally escorted her down to the guest room on Thor's floor, showing her around. Finally, when Toni decided she needed to find Loki and make sure he wasn't wrecking something valuable, she left the new girl to unpack with a grin and, "Miss Lewis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship".

"We just need to make if Facebook official", Darcy quipped, and Toni laughed all the way back up to her floor.

* * *

**Also, the whole little bit where Darcy calls Toni out on stitched-lip sex with Loki is inspired by a comment left by LewStonewar on Love Isn't All It's Cracked Up to Be on AO3, which is about a little scene between Natasha and Toni that I very much approve of. You can read it here: works/643383/comments/2475168**

**And, Next Time on Toni Stark's Relationship Adventure:**

Toni and Darcy's innocent little prank kicks off a war of epic proportions in Avenger's Tower. But what happens when Clint recruits some outside help from a magical source in pranking the Trickster himself?


End file.
